Lindblad shares anecdote behind choosing his Formula 1 number for debut season

20:02, 17 Jan

byKada Sarkozi

Arvid Lindblad explained his decision to choose 41 as his race number for the 2026 season.

"I thought 41 was the coolest of the three. And also I quite liked it because it's not really a number that's been used before."

- Arvid Lindblad

The only rookie to step into Formula 1 in 2026 will be Lindblad at Racing Bulls.

The 18-year-old moves into the seat of Isack Hadjar at the Faenza-based team, who was promoted to Red Bull Racing to become the teammate of Max Verstappen.

That meant that the young Brit had to choose a number for the upcoming campaign. Lindblad opted for 41.

At the Red Bull launch in Detroit, Michigan, he explained to GPblog and others his decision.

He said: "So, it's actually quite funny. I was talking with someone who helps from Red Bull. We were having dinner once, and we were talking about the number, and she suggested 41, 45, and 51, kind of from my name.

"Because she asked me what I thought and I was like, 'I have no idea.'

Lindblad will have number 41 on his Racing Bulls car - Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

"And I thought 41 was the coolest of the three. And also I quite liked it because it's not really a number that's been used before.

"A lot of the lower numbers have been used in other sports and they're very associated to someone. So I thought it was cool to have a number that's not really been used before.

"And then obviously, yeah, from my name, the initials, you can kind of see it. So yeah, I thought it was quite cool."

Verstappen reveals how he secured Ricciardo’s No. 3

The four-time world champion will also have a new number on his car for the 2026 campaign. Unlike Lindblad's number, that's been used before in Formula 1, namely, by Daniel Ricciardo.

At the Red Bull launch, Verstappen explained how he made Ricciardo give him his number. Find out more here!

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