Red Bull protege Arvid Lindblad poised for first full-fledged F1 test

Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad is set to complete his first full-fledged Formula 1 test at Imola next week, as he gears up for a potential free practice debut later this season.

According to a report by Motorsport.com Italy, the 17-year-old will drive the 2023 AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) AT04 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on Monday, 23 June.

This will mark Lindblad’s first proper opportunity to get to grips with an F1 car, following a limited 300km run at the same venue in February.

News of the upcoming test comes shortly after the FIA approved Red Bull’s request to grant Lindblad a superlicence despite him not meeting the minimum age requirement of 18. The governing body made an exception for the Briton as he had “recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition.”

The Imola test could serve as a key step in preparing Lindblad for a possible F1 debut, should he be needed as a stand-in at Red Bull Racing or its sister team Racing Bulls.

Max Verstappen, for instance, is currently one penalty point away from a race ban, meaning a further infraction at the next round in Austria could sideline him for a race.

Lindblad could also be drafted in if any of the four Red Bull-backed drivers on the F1 grid is ruled out due to injury or illness.

However, the most likely motivation behind the Imola outing is to ready Lindblad for an FP1 appearance later in the year. Under updated F1 regulations, teams are now required to field rookie drivers in four practice sessions during the season — up from two in previous years.

Testing at Imola will offer Lindblad a chance to gain experience in a low-pressure environment before potentially stepping into an FP1 session, where every on-track action will be closely analysed.

Last year, Kimi Antonelli suffered an embarrassing crash with Mercedes while making his FP1 debut in front of his home crowd at Monza, prompting team boss Toto Wolff to say Antonelli should have never been put in such a situation.

Lindblad currently sits third in the F2 drivers' standings with two victories to his name.