A Formula 1 superlicence exemption request from Red Bull for its protege Arvid Lindblad is to be discussed by the FIA next week, The Race can reveal.
If Lindblad’s application is approved, then it will make the 17-year-old an immediate option if Red Bull finds itself in need of an F1 driver shuffle should Max Verstappen fall foul of a race ban.
The superlicence call is due to be made at a meeting of the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council at its Extraordinary General Assemblies and Conference in Macau next week.
There, the request will be to decide if Lindblad should be granted the exemption, even though he is currently below the normal minimum age of 18. Lindblad won't turn 18 until August, in the days after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
While Lindblad has fulfilled the criteria in securing enough superlicence points through success in junior categories, at 17, he is still too young for an application to be automatically approved.
That is because ever since Max Verstappen made his F1 debut at that age in 2015, the FIA has imposed a minimum age limit of 18 for superlicences.
Last year, however, an extra clause was added to the FIA’s International Sporting Code that allowed 17-year-olds to secure a superlicence if they displayed exceptional talent.
It was this clause which opened the door for Kimi Antonelli to secure a superlicence before his 18th birthday last year, even though he did not actually make his debut on a grand prix weekend until after then.
Article 13.1.2 of the FIA’s International Sporting Code Appendix L that relates to superlicences says: “At the sole discretion of the FIA, a driver judged to have recently and consistently demonstrated outstanding ability and maturity in single-seater formula car competition may be granted a Super Licence at the age of 17 years old.”
There seems to be little doubt that Lindblad is good enough based on his success in early career.
He got himself past the 40-point threshold needed to apply for an F1 superlicence in February this year when he won the Formula Regional Oceania Championship.
The 18 points he got for that went on top of his 15 points for finishing fourth in Formula 3 last year, plus 12 points across his Formula 4 campaigns in 2022.
He has also impressed in Formula 2 this year, and currently sits third in the championship after taking a sprint win in Jeddah and his first feature race victory in Spain last weekend.
Early request
Red Bull sees Lindblad as one of its stars of the future, and its application for a superlicence exemption was made quite a while ago, as the squad wanted him as a potential reserve driver.
Speaking to Auto Motor Und Sport in March, Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko said: "We have Ayumu Iwasa as our reserve driver.
“Lindblad has the points for the superlicence. We also completed a 300km test with him in a Formula 1 car at Imola, so he could theoretically step in.
"But he doesn't turn 18 until September [his 18th birthday is actually August 8]. That's why we're currently applying to the FIA for an exemption for the super licence. Antonelli got it, too.
"We see no reason why the same shouldn't be true for Lindblad. Then we'd already have two drivers on the bench."
While Red Bull’s request was made months ago, there has been no WMSC meeting since the end of February – which means no opportunity for it to be evaluated by the governing body.
And with Red Bull in no rush for the superlicence beforehand, there was no need to fast-track it through an extraordinary e-vote.
The timing of the Lindblad application coming up on the WMSC agenda right now, though is fortuitous, with the situation that Verstappen finds himself in, meaning Red Bull could find itself needing to take action.
Verstappen options
Should Lindblad get the superlicence next week, then it will increase Red Bull’s F1 driver options in case it finds itself having to find a one-off replacement for Verstappen.
The Dutchman’s controversial clash with George Russell at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix has left him just one penalty point away from totting up the 12-point limit that automatically triggers a one-race ban.
With points not coming off the reigning champion’s licence until the end of June, it means Verstappen needs to avoid any trouble over the course of the next two races in Canada and Austria.
While Red Bull is hoping that Verstappen can keep a clean nose, there is no guarantee that something untoward does not happen and the squad finds itself without its star driver for an event.
Were Red Bull to face such a situation, then it would almost certainly choose drivers within its own pool to replace him.
The most logical option would be for impressive rookie Isack Hadjar to step up from Racing Bulls for one race, to see what he can do in the main team.
The Frenchman has been one of the revelations of this season as he has delivered regular points and currently lies ninth in the drivers’ championship.
A Hadjar promotion to Red Bull for one race would likely leave Racing Bulls’ options being either Iwasa or Lindblad.
The team would then need to decide whether it is in Lindblad’s interests to get an F1 race weekend under his belt or it is better for him to focus on securing the F2 crown.
While approval for a superlicence could also make Lindblad an option to be promoted full-time to F1 soon, potentially after the summer break, it is understood that Red Bull is not eyeing any changes right now at either of its teams before the end of the season.
