FIA approves Red Bull request to grant Arvid Lindblad a Superlicense

Lindblad has accumulated enough license points from his racing in the junior categories—he is currently racing in Formula 2—but being under 18, he needed a special approval from the FIA, which the governing body discussed in Macau on Tuesday and subsequently approved.

Red Bull has reportedly asked for the exemption with the aim of giving Lindblad the opportunity to take part in Formula 1 practice sessions.

The approval was expected, as Mercedes had filed a similar request for Kimi Antonelli back in 2024 when he was still 17 years old. Mercedes wanted to prepare the Italian for his 2025 debut with the team, replacing Lewis Hamilton but taking part in practice sessions as well as tests in older cars. Antonelli was given the Superlicense at the time.

In a press release, the FIA explained the reasoning behind Lindblad getting his Superlicense and said: "The FIA has received a request to grant a Super Licence to Arvid Lindblad prior to his 18th birthday.

"After considering the information presented in support of this request, the World Council found that the driver has recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition and therefore approved the request," the statement added.

While Red Bull has denied it, the request to exempt Lindblad was seen as a consequence of Max Verstappen accumulating 11 penalty points on his Superlicense after banging wheels with George Russell at the Spanish Grand Prix, which puts him at risk of receiving a race ban.

Lindblad is the most possible option within Red Bull's junior driver program who may be able to step into an F1 role should the need for that arise.

Lindblad is currently third in the 2025 F2 drivers' championship with one Sprint Race win (Jeddah), and one Feature Race win (Barcelona).