Lindblad replaces Tsunoda at Red Bull in Abu Dhabi

In 2025, Formula 1 teams must allocate at least two first free practice sessions to ‘rookie drivers’ per car. That means most teams will have to designate four weekends for both cars to put a substitute in the seat, if the team wants to have at least one regular driver in the car per session.

At Red Bull Racing, Max Verstappen has already given up two sessions in 2025. In Bahrain, Verstappen ceded his first practice to Ayumu Iwasa, after which he skipped another session in Mexico in favor of Lindblad. Lindblad also replaced Yuki Tsunoda once during the British Grand Prix weekend.

This means Red Bull Racing only needs to arrange a replacement for Tsunoda one more time, and they will do so in Abu Dhabi. Red Bull Racing has confirmed to GPblog that Arvid Lindblad will be the one to take over the Japanese driver’s seat in FP1.

At the same time, it means Ayumu Iwasa will make another appearance for Racing Bulls. There, Liam Lawson still needs to be replaced one more time. Iwasa already did so in Mexico and will do so again in Abu Dhabi.

Racing Bulls only has to sacrifice two race weekends in 2025 for a young talent, since they already have a rookie, Isack Hadjar, in the other car. Because Hadjar had never participated in an F1 session before 2025, his first practices in Australia and China count toward the mandatory tests.

This also applies to the other rookies. For instance, Haas, Sauber, and Mercedes also only need to give up two sessions for one of their two cars.

At Red Bull, the choice is noteworthy in light of the potential driver decision. Lindblad is seen as the logical candidate for the Racing Bulls seat for 2026. The fact that he is stepping into the Red Bull car rather than the Racing Bulls car can be seen as remarkable.

Although this means Lindblad misses time to get to know the team better, it’s not an issue for learning the car. With completely new regulations coming in 2026, there’s little to learn from driving the 2025 car for the following season.

After Abu Dhabi, there is also a test scheduled on Tuesday for the Formula 1 teams. Ayumu Iwasa and Arvid Lindblad will be in action again there as well. It is reasonable to assume the two will switch teams then, and Lindblad will step into the Racing Bulls car.