Lindblad turns laps at Imola in first proper F1 test

Red Bull prospect Arvid Lindblad has taken the wheel of Racing Bull’s 2023 AT04 for his first proper F1 test at Imola.

In a camouflaged car that originally ran under the team’s AlphaTauri name, Lindblad split TPC testing duties with fellow Red Bull junior Ayumu Iwasa at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix venue. Lindblad took command of the QAT04 in the morning, with Iwasa to taking care of the afternoon running.

For Lindblad the test is the next step as he prepares for an F1 career within the Red Bull family, with the 17-year-old having recently been granted an F1 superlicence by the FIA. As Lindblad has not hit the age limit of 18 yet, Red Bull requested a dispensation for its next big F1 prospect.

Monday’s Imola test was not Lindblad’s first-ever F1 outing, having already conducted a filming day at the same venue in February, but it is his first proper test with a two-year-old car with fewer other restrictions. The test ran to programme apart from two spins at the Variante Alta chicane.

It will stand him in good stead as he is being prepared to make his FP1 practice debut later this season, with Lindblad in line for several outing with both Racing Bulls and parent team Red Bull. Racing Bulls still has two of its four mandatory FP1 rookie slots to fill, with Isack Hadjar covering the first two at the start of the year. At Red Bull Iwasa has covered one session thus far.

Lindblad, who wrapped up a dominant Formula Regional Oceania campaign over the European off-season, recently grabbed his first F2 feature race win in Spain to back up his maiden sprint victory in Jeddah. The result propelled the Campos driver to third in the championship behind McLaren junior Alex Dunne and series veteran Richard Verschoor.