Parc Ferme: The Rising of the Bulls down under!

However, there were others who could have filled those shoes on the day. One of them Max might be happy to avoid as a future teammate.

Parc Ferme is referring to Arvid Lindblad here, the only rookie graduating from Formula 2 in 2026.

Early last year, I was asked for my impression of the eighteen-year-old as he entered F2 for his first season after exiting F3 as champion.

I described him at the time as a young Verstappen: super-quick, aggressive and highly focused. Hence, Helmut Marko is fast-tracking his progress into Formula 1.

There has always been a risk to Marko’s sink-or-swim approach when tipping them into the turbulent F1-water so young. It wasn’t so much about age as about mental maturity and strength.

I’m convinced that Kimi Antonelli would not have survived the good doctor’s Spartan methodology. However, the young Italian's performance, under the nurturing guidance of Toto Wolff and Peter Bonnington, demonstrates that a talent would have been lost.

However, in Lindblad’s case, he was right. The young Brit didn’t fare that well in F2. Sure, there were a couple of standout races and qualifications, but there were also a lot of mediocre finishes.

His mental toughness didn’t allow his head to go down, and if you want to understand his level of maturity, watch a post-race interview. Not only is he quick, but he’s also eloquent and possesses a natural gravitas that he carries onto the track!

Lindblad does not need careful nurturing from anyone, just unleashing. Some drivers are going to have a humbling time when they meet Racing Bulls’ new charge on the track. I wouldn’t want to be Liam Lawson…

If we want to summarise Arvid’s weekend, it would be simple: Kept it out of the hedge, made Q3, went toe to toe with Max (hard but not silly), earned points on the debut and destroyed his teammate. Job done.

Arvid Lindblad is also a wealthy star in the making, both on track and off. His mixed heritage means he will be claimed by British, Swedish and Indian fans alike, a dream for any brand!

The other standout performance was also from the Red Bull fold. Isack Hadjar became the first Max Verstappen teammate to actually show up for some time.

Unfortunately, the power unit of Max's teammate appeared to mega clip, changing gear all the way down from 7th to 1st within a couple of seconds. The resulting ICE boom left Hadjar by the side of the track. At least he made the start this time, handing his Melbourne out lap curse to Oscar Piastri.

It’s early days, but Hadjar seemed to be within a couple of tenths of Verstappen all weekend. Meanwhile, in an almost role reversal of form from the past two years, Max took the job of crashing out of Q1.

We all know it’s not an easy gig as Max’s wingman, but Hadjar stood up here. Once again, he’s showing us he still has plenty left in his talent bag.

It’s great to see him bury last year’s horrible debut.  Who knows, once he gets himself more comfortable, he might close the gap even further…