Red Bull F1 hopeful details ‘no excuses’ relationship behind stunning rise

Arvid Lindblad has pulled back the curtain on the "very honest relationship" he shares with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

The 17-year-old explained to RacingNews365 how neither he nor Marko, who works closely with the team's driver development programme, "like excuses", something that has become the bedrock of the often "frank" dialogue between the pair.

Widely considered the rising star of the Milton Keynes squad's junior set up, Lindblad recently procured enough FIA super licence points to race in F1, before even starting in F2, the preceding step and the championship he will compete in across 2025.

The goal remains to reach F1 next season, as has been well documented by a viral clip of Lindblad telling McLaren's Lando Norris, and Marko has made no bones about how highly he regards the British-Swedish driver.

So far, Lindblad has made good on his aspirations and is on target to achieve his ultimate goal, provided Red Bull can find an opening in one of its two F1 teams. It is a trajectory he, in part, credits to his relationship with the Austrian.

"I talk quite a lot to Dr Marko," Lindblad explains. "Last year, it was almost every weekend we were talking. He's been very helpful as well.

"We have a very honest relationship. I don't really like excuses. He doesn't like them either, so we're very frank with each other about if things have gone well, why they've gone well, [and] if they haven't, being honest and discussing what's gone wrong and how to improve.

"That's also been a big reason why I've been able to improve a lot... We've a very good relationship, and we get along very well, and he's always been very good to work with."

Is Lindblad next to continue Marko's F1 lineage?

Marko is embedded in Red Bull's motorsport arm. The 1971 24 Hours of Le Mans winner has been part of its operation since 1999, six years before the energy drinks giant first graced the F1 grid as a constructor.

The Austrian oversaw the rise of two drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen, who were at the forefront of Red Bull's two periods of championship domination.

His enduring influence on F1 remains to this day. Of the 20 drivers on the 2025 grid, eight have been part of the Red Bull junior programme at some point.

Lindblad is acutely aware of Marko's legacy. "From another point, it's quite impressive what he's doing, the number of drivers he's brought into Formula 1," he added.

"The passion and the excitement he still has is great to work with. Being 81 years old, going to all the F1 races, it's quite impressive. So I have a lot of respect for Helmut."