Alan Permane tells Arvid Lindblad why 2026 is the perfect year to be an F1 rookie

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Arvid Lindblad will be the only rookie on the Formula 1 grid as he has joined the Racing Bulls squad for his debut season in the series.

After one season in the Formula 2 Championship, Arvid Lindblad has made the move up into the Formula 1 Championship.

The 18-year-old ended the 2025 season in sixth place, but was picked up by Racing Bulls, joining the Red Bull sister team for his debut year in the series.

Lindblad will partner with Liam Lawson during his rookie season and replace the Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda in the Racing Bulls garage.

Arvid Lindblad has impressed Racing Bulls in testing so far… How will he compare to Liam Lawson this season?

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Racing Bulls team principal backs Arvid Lindblad ahead of the 2026 season

A lot of faith has been placed in Lindblad ahead of his rookie season, with the Racing Bulls team principal, Alan Permane, fully backing his new driver.

The British team principal told Gazzetta.it about the ‘two key characteristics’ Lindblad possesses, which he believes will help him throughout the 2026 season.

He also stated that he believes that with the extra testing ahead of this year, Lindblad will be better prepared than previous rookies in recent years.

Permane said, “He has two key characteristics for a driver: he’s fast, and he’s a hard worker.

“Plus, I think this is a good year for him to debut because he’ll have much more testing available than the one and a half days he had, for example, last year. And this will allow him to start better prepared.

“Then it will be important to work hard and manage the stimuli and difficulties of this season well.”

Alan Permane has full faith in Liam Lawson to become a ‘strong driver’

The lead driver for the Racing Bulls squad in 2026 is the Kiwi, Liam Lawson, as he enters his second full season in Formula 1.

Lawson competed in two Grands Prix with the Red Bull Racing squad in the 2025 season, but was moved to Racing Bulls for the remainder of the year.

Lawrence Barretto discussed a conversation he had with Permane ahead of the 2026 season and revealed that the team principal believes in the right environment Lawson can become ‘a very strong driver’.

However, the 24-year-old will have to adapt to the new 2026 Formula 1 regulations, as Lawson had been struggling with the new car during the first Bahrain Test last week.