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F1
Arvid Lindblad, the new poster child of Indian motorsports
The British driver of Indian-Swedish heritage discusses his roots and the pride he feels in representing India when he debuts at Formula 1 this year.
Arvid Lindblad’s exploits in formula racing have drawn him praise over the years, even earning him the title of generational talent.
The driver who hails from Virginia Water in Surrey, England, started in single-seater racing in 2022 and quickly made his way up the ranks. He became the youngest driver to win a race in Formula 3 in 2024 and then followed it up as the youngest race winner in Formula 2 in 2025.
With the 2026 Formula 1 season set to begin in March, Arvid is primed to make his debut at the top-tier of open-wheel racing with a seat secured in the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls Formula One Team.
Being a British national, Arvid made his competitive debut in the British national karting circuit at eight years of age. After several years of karting success in mostly British and European competitions, he stepped up to open-wheel racing in 2022.
In the first vlog of his YouTube channel titled ‘i am arvid lindblad,’ he credits his desire to persevere through grit and determination as direct learnings from his hard-working parents.
“Work first. No shortcuts. Be a fighter,” is what Arvid says in the video voiceover.
And a conversation with him about his parents and origins echoes the same belief structure.
“I come from a multicultural, multifaith background. And that’s at the core of my being,” says Arvid.
His full name – Arvid Anand Olof Lindblad – reflects that multicultural identity. Arvid and Olof are given names from his father’s Swedish background, while Anand is the name of his maternal grandfather who hails from Bihar.
Arvid Lindblad
© Getty Images
When he debuts with VCARB this year, Arvid will be only the third driver of Indian origin to race in F1, following in the footsteps of Karun Chandhok and Narain Karthikeyan. While he hasn’t witnessed motor racing in India, he’s been focussed on connecting deeper with his roots.
“I visited India in December 2024. It was my first time in the country,” says Arvid. “My mum is born and brought up in the UK. But her parents are from Punjab. They are both doctors; they were studying in Delhi, where they met and fell in love. Then they moved to the UK.
“We don’t really have much family in India. My connection to India is mostly through my grandparents and the memories of the places they lived in Delhi. So when I came to India in 2024, I got to see the places where my grandparents spent their lives as young adults. That felt a bit like a homecoming and sort of a family-ish connection.”
Arvid Lindblad driving the VCARB 02 during F1 Testing in December 2025
© Getty Images
Over his first two visits to India, Arvid has made it a point to explore as much of the country as possible, taking in the sights and tastes.
“So far in India, I’ve been to Delhi, Agra and Jaipur in December 2024, and now Mumbai in December 2025,” he says. “I saw the Taj Mahal in Agra, Tiger Fort (Nahargarh Fort) in Jaipur, India Gate and Gandhi Memorial (Raj Ghat) in Delhi. In Mumbai, I’ve visited Gateway of India and Marine Drive.
“When I visited Delhi last year, it was more about the museums, monuments and touristy stuff, you know. But this year in Mumbai, I wanted to get an experience of what it’s like living in India. So we visited a clothes market and a food market. I ate fire paan and vada pav.
“For me, this 2025 trip was about this kind of stuff, you know. I just wanted an experience of normal life. An experience of being an Indian in India.”
While he sampled some street delicacies in Mumbai, Arvid is no stranger to Indian food himself.
“I've had a lot of Indian food growing up because my grandparents are very traditional people. They carried their culture and lifestyle to the UK. So I feel like I’ve been born into the Indian culture because I grew up eating my nani’s Indian food; I love rajma, chapati and dal – I even tried cooking it with my nani!
“I’ve also participated in pujas at home and visited the temple. We celebrate Diwali every year,” adds Arvid.
Having been born and raised in England, Arvid only speaks a little bit of Hindi. But he hopes to spend more time in India so he can learn to speak Hindi and Punjabi fluently.
He will get the opportunity when he returns to India for Red Bull Moto Jam 2026, taking place in Delhi NCR on 1st March.
“I’m really excited about coming back to India for Red Bull Moto Jam. I think it’s going to be a very cool event. It’s going to be amazing driving an F1 car on the streets of Delhi. It will be even more special for me because it’s going to be my first showrun as a Formula 1 driver, and doing that here in India with my heritage and background is obviously something that I’m very excited about,” says Arvid.
With Red Bull Moto Jam taking place right before the 2026 Formula 1 season begins, Arvid will have half a mind on the season ahead. But looking further in the future, he also wishes to compete in an F1 car in India.
“It would be really cool if Formula 1 were to have the Indian Grand Prix on the calendar once again. Obviously with my connection to the country, I’d love to race here. But also with the number of Indian motorsports fans that are there, they deserve to have the top level of racing in their country.
“I’ve recently started doing vlogs of my life on YouTube, and of course I post regularly on Instagram. Whenever I put up something new, I always get a lot of Indian fans showing support and wishing me well.
“My video cooking with my grandmother has so many comments of people saying they love that I call her nani because they also call their grandmother nani. Social media has been a great way to connect with Indian motorsports fans and I hope to continue getting their support,” he says.
For his part, Arvid carries a little bit of India into every one of his races.
“Obviously, I do race under the British flag. But I'm very, very proud of my Swedish and Indian heritage. I'm very proud to be representing Great Britain, Sweden and India whenever I race. And I carry that with me everywhere, which is why I have all three flags as part of my helmet design, and I’ll continue to do so,” Arvid says.
