Helmut Marko shares his verdict on Arvid Lindblad's FP1 outing in the F1 Mexican GP

Red Bull Racing senior advisor Helmut Marko explained that Arvid Lindblad delivered on what he was asked to do during his Mexican Grand Prix FP1 outing. The F2 star impressed Marko by not doing "anything wrong", as this was all that was expected from him in Mexico City.

Arvid Lindblad impressed during the Mexican GP FP1 session as the Red Bull prodigy jumped into Max Verstappen's car on Friday. The British driver was one of nine rookies taking part in the session and was the only one of them to finish in the top 10.

With his P6 finish, Lindblad even finished ahead of Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bull driver Isack Hadjar during the practice session. The teenager was only six-tenths behind leader Charles Leclerc.

After the session on Friday, Red Bull senior advisor and architect of their junior program, Helmut Marko, shared a simple verdict about Lindblad's performance at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

"He was told to not do anything wrong. He delivered!" said Marko.

Arvid Lindblad is highly rated within the Red Bull setup, with the 18-year-old currently competing in the feeder series. He has already been touted as the "next Max Verstappen" by pundits, thanks to his impressive career trajectory.

Lindblad is heavily rumored to be a candidate for the Racing Bulls seat in 2026, with Isack Hadjar expected to join Max Verstappen at the senior team. The futures of both Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson remain uncertain, with them potentially fighting for one spot on the grid next season, as Lindblad's teammate at the junior team.

Red Bull is expected to announce the 2026 driver lineup for both of its F1 outfits after the Mexican GP, with only Verstappen and Hadjar considered certainties.

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"The pace is there": Laurent Mekies on Arvid Lindblad's Mexican GP FP1 outing

Arvid Lindblad steps into the RB21 during Mexican GP FP1 Source: Getty

Red Bull Racing team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies praised Arvid Lindblad's outing during the Mexican GP FP1, saying that the youngster "did a very good job". The Frenchman also claimed that the driver's raw pace cannot be disputed.

Speaking to the media after the first practice session of the race weekend on Friday, Mekies reflected on Lindblad's second outing of the 2025 season.

"We took the decision to leave Arvid on low-ish fuel to not give him the complication of high and low fuel," said Mekies [via Sky Sports F1]. "He did a very good job. It's so difficult to jump in. The pace is there, so not much to argue against that," he added.

Lindblad had previously featured during a practice session at the British Grand Prix in July, driving Yuki Tsunoda's car on that occasion.

Driving Verstappen's car this time around would have potentially come with more pressure, though, as the Austrian team wants no slip-ups at this point in the season, especially with Verstappen now in contention for the drivers' title.

Edited by Riddhiman Sarkar