Marko hails 'pure speed' of Red Bull's next champion in the making
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Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull's driver development programme, which has unearthed so many young talents, has a new rising star in its sights: 17-year-old Arvid Lindblad.
It's early days but Red Bull's ever watchful motorsport advisor has liked what he's seen so far from the young gun, born and raised in the UK to a Swedish father and a mother of Indian heritage.
Marko has especially been impressed by Lindblad's "pure speed" as displayed this season in the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Prema, and suggests Red Bull may have a future champion in its ranks, perhaps even a new Max Verstappen.
"It's a great pleasure and enjoyment to work with Max, but Max won't drive forever," Marko told the Inside Line F1 podcast. "Especially not as long as Alonso or Hamilton are doing."
Lindblad's ascent through the junior ranks has been rapid. Following a third-place finish in the 2023 Italian Formula 4 championship and four race wins in his rookie FIA Formula 3 World Championship campaign in 2024, the Briton is set to compete in Formula 2 with Campos in 2025.
Marko, ever on the hunt for the next big thing, isn't simply looking for another Verstappen.
"The junior team prospects to find new talents," he explained. "And we are not looking for a new Max. We're looking for a new champion.
"I think the next one which looks really promising is Lindblad."
Marko shed light on what sets the blistering fast teenager apart.
"In his first year, or always in Formula 4, even if he didn't win the championship, the same applies to F3, he could have won the championship, but circumstances and so on, but what is making him outstanding, is his pure speed," he explained.
"In one of the Formula 3 races [at Silverstone], he overtook, in one lap, I don't know, 10 or 14 other drivers.
"He won the race from being last in these tricky conditions, wet, dry and so on."
But it's not just Lindblad's racing skills that stand out. Marko reminisced about his first encounter with the young driver in Portimão, Portugal,
"If I look back, I met him first in Portimão. I met him and his father and it was Arvid who was leading the conversation, with 12 years or so [of age]. So that also was something which is not normal!
"But he had a clear vision and a clear way how to achieve it. And since then he has moved steadily forward."
With Formula 2 on the horizon, Red Bull has mapped out a clear plan for Lindblad to secure the necessary FIA Super Licence points by the time he turns 18 in August.
The team intends to send him to New Zealand to compete in the Formula Regional series, where they believe he can rack up the points needed to make him eligible for an F1 seat.
Marko isn't shy about laying out high expectations.
"The first three [F2] test days just happened in Abu Dhabi, and he improved day by day," Marko noted, highlighting Lindblad's performance in outpacing his more experienced teammate Pepe Marti by the final day.
"That shows he watches, he looks at what his teammate is doing, and he knows where to improve."
But Lindblad isn't just fast; he's also self-aware and grounded.
"He's very smart, and he is honest to himself," Marko said. "When he makes a mistake, he doesn't look for excuses, and he's looking forward."
This mental resilience and adaptability have allowed Lindblad to skip the conventional ladder steps.
"As for his mental preparation, when he goes in a new formula, he is one of the few ones who went directly from Formula 4 to F3," he added.
"He has his opinions, and he knows how to prepare, and he commits to it and step by step. So I would say it's a very good combination between mental and driving skills."
Lindblad's rapid ascent has inevitably drawn comparisons to Red Bull's prodigious alumni, from Sebastian Vettel to Verstappen himself. While the pressure is immense, Marko is confident Lindblad has what it takes to succeed.
"So the first step was okay, but we don't want not only to be just ahead of his teammate; we want him to win or to be one of the top players in the championship," Marko concluded.
"That, I think, is the base for big success in the future."
For now, the teenager's journey is being meticulously charted, but with Marko's glowing endorsement, it's clear that Arvid Lindblad is more than just a name for the future—he's a champion in the making.
And as Verstappen edges closer to his self-imposed retirement timeline, Red Bull's next big hope might just be waiting in the wings, preparing for his moment in the spotlight.
After all, as Marko might put it, the race for the next F1 superstar never truly ends – it just shifts into a higher gear.
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