Helmut Marko has revealed that Red Bull Junior Team sensation Arvid Lindblad will make his Formula 1 debut at the British Grand Prix.
The 17-year-old will appear in Friday practice at his home race at the wheel of the Racing Bulls car, following on from his recent Imola test and the granting of his FIA Super Licence ahead of the usual minimum age of 18 after Red Bull‘s request was successful.
Arvid Lindblad F1 debut set amid Max Verstappen ban threat
Marko – Red Bull’s senior advisor and boss of their driver programme – stated that Lindblad’s Silverstone FP1 debut comes as part of their efforts to plan for the possibility of reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen receiving a one-race ban.
Should he pick up a penalty point at this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, that would force Verstappen to sit out the British GP.
A clean Austrian GP would see his tally drop from 11 to nine, putting him three points away from a race ban rather than one.
With no further points due to be removed until late October, Red Bull is looking to safeguard itself from the ongoing one-race ban threat facing Verstappen.
Speaking about Lindblad in a Kleine Zeitung interview, Marko said: “He spent half a day in the [Racing Bulls] car in Italy on Monday to prepare him. And he will also be in the car for Friday practice at Silverstone.
“He is characterised by his mental strength and self-confidence, his Swedish-Indian mix is obviously very good for motorsport.
“We are preparing ourselves in case something really happens with Max Verstappen in terms of his penalty points.
“We currently have two replacement drivers: Lindblad and Ayumu Iwasa, who has overlapping Formula 1 dates with his commitments in Japan.”
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Marko added that Red Bull had struck a reserve driver deal with another team as part of these efforts to ensure their pool was fully prepared, though which team this was, the driver and the timeframe, were left a mystery.
“For some races we even had a deal with another team, and once a replacement driver was even scheduled for three teams,” said Marko.
“It’s not so easy to find someone who is in good shape. And that’s why Lindblad is now in the car.”
Lindblad is enjoying an impressive rookie Formula 2 season and has emerged as a title contender, his two race wins helping him to P3 in the current standings, with Championship leader – McLaren-backed Alex Dunne – only eight points up the road.
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