Verstappen's potential successor is disappointed with Horner's dismissal at Red Bull

12:51, 27 Jul

byLudo van Denderen

Christian Horner always spoke highly of Arvid Lindblad, the great talent from Red Bull's junior academy. However, following his dismissal as Red Bull Racing's team boss, Horner won't be able to decide if the Brit (18) will make his Grand Prix debut in 2026. In Belgium, following a Formula 2 feature race where he finished second, Lindblad reacted to that departure for the first time.

"Firstly we should just say, obviously we're all at least as a part of the Red Bull programme and Red Bull family and we're all very grateful to Christian for what he's done," the youngster began telling GPblog, among others.

"It's a shame that he's left, but he's built Red Bull Racing into what it is today. So yes, I think we're all very grateful to him. On my side, he always was very nice to me. And yes, it's a shame to see him go..

Arvid Lindblad regrets the dismissal of Christian Horner

Lindblad to be the teammate of Verstappen?

The expectation is that Lindblad will progress to Formula 1 next season; probably as a full-time driver for Racing Bulls (VCARB), possibly as a teammate of Max Verstappen at the senior team. Laurent Mekies, the newly-promoted team principal of Racing Bulls, is now partly responsible for deciding the future of Lindblad.

"With Laurent, I spoke with him a little bit when he was in VCARB. So I know him. He's a very nice guy. He's always been very friendly."

As for what the future holds, Lindblad doesn't want to say much. "I mean I'm not really the one in the talks, I'm just focused on my performance in F2 and trying to do a good job, because I know that's what's going to give me the best opportunity for next year," concluded the British talent.