Red Bull talent reflects on bold F1 claim with Hamilton comparison

Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad remains "very motivated and focused" on reaching F1 for the 2026 season, as he told compatriot Lando Norris he would four years ago.

The 17-year-old, who races under the British flag but has dual nationality with Sweden, made the bold claim to the McLaren driver in 2021, when he was still racing go-karts, confidently saying: "I want you to remember me, I'll see you in five years" in a brief encounter that has since gone viral.

Having moved on from karting, Lindblad graduated to the F1 support paddock last season, and will race in F2 in 2025 after just one year at FIA F3 level.

Last term, after putting on an exceptional display in front of his home crowd at Silverstone, securing a victory in a sprint and feature race double, the Red Bull academy prospect sat just six points behind then-championship leader Gabriele Mini in the F3 drivers' standings.

His title charge faded after going scoreless over the final three rounds of the campaign, but Lindblad had nonetheless proven himself at that level, doing more than enough to move up to F2, where he will assume Racing Bulls and F1-bound Isack Hadjar's seat at Campos Racing.

With just one year left - and one step on the ladder - remaining to make good on his pledge, the young Briton reflected on his interaction with Norris.

"It was quite an exciting moment," Lindblad told RacingNews365 in an exclusive interview. "It was a funny thing, he came to a karting race that I was doing... and he'd just launched his kart, his chassis.

"I remember he was walking out the paddock, and I was with my friend, and I said that I was gonna go up to Lando and sort of say 'hi' and he was like: 'oh no, you don't have the balls' and that kind of thing."

Unperturbed by the vote of no confidence, the now-F2 driver shrugged off his friend's goading and went up to Norris.

"It was one of those off the cuff kind of things. I just went up to him without really thinking," the F2 driver recalled, before likening it to an encounter that has become enshrined in motorsport folklore.

"I always saw the story of [Lewis] Hamilton with Ron Dennis at that awards ceremony, saying: 'I'll be driving your car one day.'

"It's a bit different, but that kind of gist. I just thought I'd tell him: 'I'll see you in five years.'"

Lindblad: 'I'm very motivated and focused on sticking to my deadline'

With the aforementioned Hadjar embarking on his rookie season, Liam Lawson bravely taking on the challenging seat alongside Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda's future at Racing Bulls uncertain, there is every possibility that he can prove himself right - even more so if speculation linking F1's current drivers' champion away from Red Bull comes to fruition.

Team principal Christian Horner has name-dropped Lindblad on a number of occasions over the past year and the driver himself is focused on sticking to his self-imposed deadline.

Whilst that initial target remains attainable, especially if he performs well at F2 level, the 17-year-old also hopes to emulate the achievements of Verstappen.

"From a very young age, when I started racing at five [years old], I've been extremely motivated and determined to get to Formula 1 and be a world champion," he explained.

"I had that sort of belief and goal when I was five, I had it four years ago [when Lindblad made the remark to Norris], and I still have it now.

"So I'm very motivated and focused on sticking to my deadline. I've done pretty well so far - I can't really go much faster than I have.

"It's been good so far, and I'm just gonna focus on myself and hopefully I can stick to my deadline like I said."