Liam Lawson told that even Arvid Lindblad can ‘definitely’ offer Red Bull something he never has

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Liam Lawson has now taken on the role of team leader for Racing Bulls, yet his rookie teammate Arvid Lindblad has been backed to be a superior asset for Red Bull in 2026.

Red Bull put their driver roster on rotation once again ahead of the 2026 F1 season, with the Milton Keynes outfit promoting Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls to replace Yuki Tsunoda. They also awarded Lawson a new contract to remain in Faenza and support F2 graduate, Lindblad.

Lindblad enjoyed a rapid rise through the junior categories with Red Bull’s backing, and he is now set to become one of the youngest drivers to race in Formula 1 when he hits the grid in Australia on March 8. The 18-year-old Briton will slot into fourth place in F1’s history books.

Lawson is wary about Racing Bulls relying on him in 2026 to lead their efforts alongside Red Bull’s latest hot prospect, Lindblad. The 23-year-old New Zealander is fully aware that 2026 is only his second full season on the F1 grid and also the first season he is starting in Faenza.

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Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad can give Red Bull better technical input than Liam Lawson

Lindblad has reached F1 after winning the 2025 Formula Regional Oceania title, plus coming fourth as a rookie in F3 in 2024 and sixth as a rookie in F2 in 2025. Yet Jan Lammers believes Lindblad can provide Red Bull “good” technical input about their new engine at Racing Bulls.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the 2026 F1 engine and aero regulations

Former F1 driver and Le Mans winner Lammers has backed Lindblad to be a valuable asset for Red Bull at the start of their new life as an engine manufacturer. He also believes Hadjar can “definitely” be an upgrade for Red Bull after what Lawson and Tsunoda offered in 2025.

Lammers told RacingNews365: “Yes, that’s definitely possible. Of course, they also have Arvid Lindblad further down in their organisation, who can provide good input. So, I think [Red Bull] have a good environment anyway, but they really need that.”

Red Bull are still trying to improve their 2026 F1 rules engine

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The maiden Red Bull Powertrains engine, built in partnership with Ford, will power Red Bull and Racing Bulls this year. Christian Horner established the engine programme after Honda initially decided to withdraw from F1, before it signed an exclusive deal with Aston Martin.

Honda agreed to continue supplying the two Red Bull outfits with its engine until the end of the previous regulation cycle. But the RBPT DM01 will propel Max Verstappen and Hadjar at Red Bull plus Lawson and Lindblad at Racing Bulls at the start of the 2026 F1 regulations era.

The RBPT DM01’s reliability was one of the standout themes to emerge in Barcelona during the shakedown test last week. But Red Bull are still trying to improve the drivability of their 2026 engine, with the new rules producing a near 50/50 electrical/combustion power split.