Red Bull protégé Arvid Lindblad prepares for his first real F1 test
Young Red Bull driver Arvid Lindblad will take his first real Formula 1 test next week in Imola, as he prepares for a potential free practice session later in the season.
According to *Motorsport.com Italy*, the 17-year-old Briton will take the wheel of the 2023 AlphaTauri AT04 (now Racing Bulls) at the Imola circuit (Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari) on Monday, June 23.
A first run with Red Bull
This will be the first real opportunity for Arvid Lindblad to get familiar with an F1 car, after a limited 300 km run conducted on the same circuit in February.
This test comes shortly after the FIA granted Red Bull an exceptional waiver to issue a super license to Arvid Lindblad, even though he has not yet reached the minimum required age of 18. The federation justified this decision by praising the recently demonstrated exceptional ability and maturity of the single-seater driver.
Running in Imola could be a key step in Arvid Lindblad’s preparation for a potential F1 debut, in case Red Bull Racing or Racing Bulls need a substitute.
A reinforcement for the Austrian team
Max Verstappen, for example, is currently one penalty point away from a race suspension. A new infraction during the next Grand Prix in Austria could temporarily sideline him from the tracks.
Arvid Lindblad could also be called upon for reinforcement if one of the four drivers supported by Red Bull were to miss a race due to an injury or illness.
However, the main motivation behind this test seems to be to prepare Arvid Lindblad to participate in a Free Practice 1 session later in the season. The F1 regulations now require each team to run rookies in four free practice sessions during the year — compared to two previously.
The running at Imola will therefore offer Arvid Lindblad the opportunity to gain experience in a pressure-free context, before moving on to the more scrutinized exercise of an official FP1.
Last year, Kimi Antonelli had an embarrassing crash during his FP1 debut at Monza with Mercedes, which led Toto Wolff to declare that he should never have been put in that situation.
Arvid Lindblad currently occupies the 3rd place in the F2 championship, with two victories to his credit.
Read also: Arvid Lindblad gets his super license at 17
