Arvid Lindblad of Racing Bulls prepares to drive Red Bull Ampol Racing’s Ford Mustang at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Image: Dom Gibbons/Getty Images
The Formula 1 rookie identified Supercars and IndyCar as two championships he would like to contest later in his career.
Lindblad said he hoped to have a lengthy F1 career before following Max Verstappen’s example by exploring other categories.
“When I think about my own future, I realise I’m quite similar,” Lindblad told Autosport.
“Of course, I want a long Formula 1 career. I’d like to stay here for 10 or 15 years.
“Once that chapter is over, I’d like to try completely different experiences.
“I’d love to race in IndyCar for a few seasons. I’d like to try the Australian Supercars championship and explore other forms of motorsport that interest me.
“The world of racing is huge.”
Lindblad has already driven Supercars machinery twice, most recently getting behind the wheel of Triple Eight’s Red Bull Ampol Racing Ford Mustang at July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The demonstration included a series of doughnuts and a minor brush with Ellen Lohr’s Mercedes-Benz, but Lindblad was impressed by the sound, power and sequential gearbox of the Gen3 Mustang.
“It was fun. It’s such a great noise. It’s so loud. A lot of power. Sequential gearbox, so it’s quite cool to be able to pull the gears,” he said at the time.
His first Supercar outing came at Highlands Motorsport Park in early 2025, when he drove the ex-Shane van Gisbergen Chevrolet Camaro owned by circuit proprietor Tony Quinn.
That came while competing in the Formula Regional Oceania Championship, which he won that season.
Any move into Supercars remains a long-term prospect, with Lindblad currently in the midst of an impressive rookie F1 season.
The 18-year-old has scored points in seven grands prix and reached Q3 on seven occasions through the opening 11 rounds of the 2026 season.
He has also remained close to teammate Liam Lawson, who leads their combined grand prix and sprint qualifying head-to-head 8-7.
Lindblad sits 20 points behind Lawson in the drivers’ championship, while the New Zealander holds an 11-4 advantage in their combined grand prix and sprint race head-to-head.
His performances have strengthened his position within the Red Bull system after he entered the season as the only rookie on the grid.
Lindblad admitted the significance of reaching F1 did not fully sink in until moments before the start of his debut in Melbourne.
He said he was preparing to climb into his car when long-time mentor Oliver Rowland approached him on the grid following the national anthem.
“I’d qualified ninth and was just about to put my helmet on when Oliver Rowland gave me a hug and said something very simple: ‘All those years of hard work were for this moment,’” Lindblad explained.
“Something happened inside me that I’d never experienced before. For one or two seconds, my whole life flashed before my eyes.
“I saw myself at seven years old. Then eight. I remembered dreaming about Formula 1. I remembered every difficult moment, every year I wondered whether I’d ever make it.”
Lindblad said the exchange briefly brought him to tears before he turned his attention to the race.
“I started crying,” he said.
“Then I stopped almost immediately because I had a race to do, but it was an emotion completely unlike anything I’d ever felt before.
“That was the moment I truly realised: ‘I’ve made it. I’m a Formula 1 driver.’”
The British driver said he had never considered an alternative career while progressing through the junior categories because he remained convinced he would reach F1.
“No. Never. Because in my mind, plan A was always going to work,” Lindblad said when asked whether he had a fallback option.
“Even when I was five or six years old, I simply couldn’t picture a future where I wasn’t a Formula 1 driver.
“It wasn’t even a possibility in my head. Maybe that’s also why I never felt intimidated by expectations. A lot of people are frightened by such a huge ambition. I honestly never was.”
Lindblad said that outlook had helped him deal with the pressure associated with Red Bull’s junior program and his promotion to F1.
“I never felt the pressure everyone talks about because, in my mind, it was always very straightforward,” he said.
“If I wasn’t fast enough, I’d be disappointed in myself. That wouldn’t be Red Bull’s fault – it would simply mean I hadn’t been good enough.”
He added that the demands of F1 had also been less intimidating than he had been warned to expect.
“Before I arrived, everyone kept telling me the pressure would be enormous,” Lindblad said.
“I’m sure there will be a moment when I’ll feel it too, but honestly, I haven’t so far.
“Being here is what I’ve wanted since I was five years old. I’ve spent my whole life working towards this.
“I’m grateful to everyone who helped me along the way, but at the end of the day, this is my dream. I’m living it for myself.
“So why should I feel pressure?”
F1 returns with the Dutch Grand Prix on August 21-23.