Red Bull is seeking a superlicense exemption for Formula 2 driver and member of their junior program Arvid Lindblad, several media reports have claimed.
Red Bull is requesting this exemption to allow Lindblad to take part in Formula 1 sessions and has emerged in the aftermath of Max Verstappen accumulating 11 penalty points on his superlicense, which puts him one point away from a race ban.
However, Red Bull's motorsport consultant, Dr. Helmut Marko, clarified that the request had been submitted long before Verstappen received three penalty points and a ten-second time penalty for bumping wheels with George Russell at the 2025 Spanish Grand Prix last weekend.
Lindblad is tipped as the next big talent coming through the Red Bull junior driver program and is currently competing in his rookie F2 season with Campos Racing and sits third in the rankings with two wins to his name.
He finished fourth in the 2023 Formula 3 season with Prema Racing while taking a win in the Macau Formula 4 race back in 2023. In 2023, he finished fourth in the Euro 4 championship, third in the FIA-certified Italian F4 championship, and fifth in the United Arab Emirates F4 championship.
It is worth noting that Lindblad has accumulated enough points for the superlicense, but being 17 years old, these points cannot be put into effect until he turns 18, and this is what Red Bull are seeking to get an exemption for.
Mercedes went through the same process back in 2024 with Kimi Antonelli, who was 17 when he was announced as Lewis Hamilton's replacement, and the team needed to run him in F1 sessions to get up to speed in F1 machinery before his debut in 2025.
The FIA changed the rules requiring a driver to be 18 before getting a superlicense in the aftermath of Verstappen's debut back in 2015 with Scuderia Toro Rosso—now Racing Bulls.
Red Bull's request will be discussed in the upcoming FIA World Motor Sport Council at its Extraordinary General Assemblies and Conference in Macau scheduled for next week.
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