2026 Racing Bulls Formula 1 driver Arvid Lindblad has shared some insight into the now-viral clip of him approaching Lando Norris five years ago.
Lindblad told the McLaren driver to remember him and that he would see him in F1 in five years, taking inspiration from Lewis Hamilton's Ron Dennis story. Following the news that the British driver had signed for Racing Bulls for 2026, footage of the interaction quickly gained traction on social media.
"I told my friend: ‘I think I'm going up to Lando.’ And he was like: ‘Oh no, you don't have the guts,'" Lindblad told Motorsport.com in an exclusive interview.
"I didn't really know what I was going to say, and the first thing that came out was: ‘I want you to remember me. I'm going to see you in five years.’ I'd gotten a bit of inspiration from the Lewis Hamilton–Ron Dennis story, saying, ‘I'm going to drive one of your cars one day.’
"I think he was taken aback a bit and said something like: ‘Oh, that's nice to think of it.’ I'm sure there are lots of people that say those kinds of things, so it didn't really mean anything at the time.
"But like I said, I had this belief I would make it to F1. I had it when I said that to Lando, and I have that same sort of belief today. It's a funny story to look back on, because it will become true. It will be five years."
The 18-year-old will join Racing Bulls to drive alongside Liam Lawson in 2026, as Isack Hadjar moves up to Red Bull to take the seat beside four-time champion Max Verstappen.
Lindblad has quickly risen through the ranks. He moved from karting to Formula 4 in 2022 before gaining a seat in Formula 3 in 2024 and Formula 2 in 2025.
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