Arvid Lindblad won the title in Formula Regional Oceania

      At the end of last year we gave Helmut Marko's opinion on Arvid Lindblad, the 17-year-old Briton who also holds a Swedish passport: the Red Bull motorsport advisor believes the young driver has championship potential. Yesterday, Arvid confirmed this by winning the title in New Zealand's Formula Regional Oceania (former Toyota Racing Series). He finished third in the final Grand Prix of New Zealand, but in a short season lasting less than a month (the series has five rounds, each consisting of three races) he has won six times. As a result of this winter youth championship Lindblad quite confidently ahead of local driver Zack Skular and American Nikita Johnson and thanks to this success achieved the right to obtain a super license FIA. For the title in Formula Regional Oceania is credited 18 points to the super license, while Arvid already had 27, earned in the previous two years in Italian F4 and Formula 3. In other words, he already has 45 points, and to get a superlicense must score 40. "In Abu Dhabi (in December 2024), I talked to Helmut Marko, - said Lindblad, taking part in the podcast Rusty's Garage Australian journalist Greg Rust. - The opportunity to get the full number of points for the Super License before the Formula 1 season started was the main reason why I spent the season in the series. The only obstacle to getting that all-important F1 license is Lindblad's age: he turns 18 in August. At the same time, he is part of the youth program Red Bull, in 2025 will debut in F2 in the Campos Racing and is considered one of the main contenders for a place in the Racing Bulls, if in 2026 the contract with Yuki Tsunoda will not be extended. Since the right to a superlicense Arvid Lindblad has already earned, and its receipt - just a matter of time, he already has a formal right to participate in Friday training, but in fact in Red Bull will be able to attract him to this work only from September.