EXCLUSIVE: ‘We like to be an incubator for talent’ – Alan Permane on Racing Bulls’ Lawson/Lindblad line-up for 2026

Red Bull are giving Arvid Lindblad – the most exciting prospect from their junior programme – his shot at the big time after promoting him to a seat at Racing Bulls in 2026 as Liam Lawson wins a battle with Yuki Tsunoda to clinch the other drive. We speak exclusively to Racing Bulls Team Principal Alan Permane who explains to F1.com why the duo form his line-up for next year...

Racing Bulls have long been a vehicle for Red Bull to develop their hottest prospects and see if they have what it takes to step up to the works Red Bull team and compete for Grand Prix victories. 

Isack Hadjar was given that shot this year, and while he crashed in his first race weekend, the Frenchman has since gone on to score 10 times in the Grand Prix format, including a superb podium in the Netherlands, and sits 10th in the drivers' standings heading to the finale in Abu Dhabi. 

That form was too good for Red Bull to overlook so they promoted him to the senior team alongside reigning four-time World Champion Max Verstappen for next year.

That left at least one vacant seat at Racing Bulls. Keen to continue their strategy of giving talent a chance, Red Bull have wasted no time promoting Lindblad from F2.

The 18-year-old – who earned special dispensation to get his F1 Superlicence ahead of his 18th birthday earlier this year, having already accrued enough points to qualify – had three runs in a two-year-old Racing Bull this year ahead of two FP1 appearances for Red Bull in Silverstone and Mexico respectively. 

While he impressed in all his showings, Permane says it was his performance in Mexico that was a key factor in convincing Red Bull to give him a shot now. 

"He had an exceptional outing in Mexico in the Red Bull in FP1," Permane tells me. "He was very, very quick and both Red Bull and Racing Bulls were very impressed with that drive. It's lots of different things that have led to his promotion. 

"[Red Bull Motorsport Advisor] Helmut believes in him – and that's a great thing to have, to have the backing of Dr Marko, who has been following his career closely."

Permane adds: "His feedback is very good. He's intelligent – you can tell that when you talk to him. He'll learn quickly I'm sure. If a driver has got spare capacity, it's always good.”

With Lindblad confirmed for one seat, that left just one left – with incumbent Lawson up against Tsunoda, who was set to lose his Red Bull seat to Hadjar. 

Initially, it is believed the Japanese racer was the frontrunner, but it was ultimately Lawson – who was demoted to Racing Bulls after just two races with Red Bull earlier this year – who got the nod. 

The New Zealander had a slow start on returning to Racing Bulls but has since showed the peaks he is capable of with some strong drives, including P5 in Baku and P6 in Austria, as well as a double P7 in the Sprint and Grand Prix in Austin. 

"Liam is talented, he's very talented, and my mission will be to get him to operate at the level he can operate at when things are all working for him," says Permane. 

"In some of the most difficult situations we've had this year such as Vegas Qualifying or Baku Qualifying, he's excelled – and he's having some really strong races. I know he's capable of that and he knows he's capable of that and I just want to work with him to get him at that level every single time he goes in the car."

Permane adds that if Lawson can iron out the peaks and troughs of his form and "operate at his best level more consistently, he will be a very good Formula 1 driver". 

Lawson has made gains in the way he approaches a weekend, too. Previously, if he started a race weekend badly, he would likely struggle to recover. Last weekend's race in Qatar was another example to suggest he's found a way to iron out that fallibility. 

"He had a difficult Friday, they didn't get things right but on Saturday he qualified better," says Permane.

"His pace in the race, if you look at the last laps – the only laps he was in free air – it was very impressive. He was faster than the three or four guys in front of him. The pace is there, we just have to link it altogether."

In keeping Lawson, Racing Bulls are afforded some stability heading into 2026, when sweeping new rules will be introduced for both the chassis and power unit.

Permane says "continuity really helps" and he also pointed to how Lawson's near one-and-a-half years of F1 can help Lindblad settle in. 

"Having a driver who will be able to also help Arvid is good," says Permane. "It's something I've spoken to Liam about. I don't expect him to be a mentor for Arvid, far from it, but I do expect him to be there. 

"OK he has only got a season and a half under his belt, but he has a lot more than Arvid has.

“He should be able to – and I would expect him to – help Arvid out when things are tough for him, especially early on and during testing."

With Lawson and Lindblad locked in at Racing Bulls, Hadjar is set to take the next step in his already impressive career by joining Red Bull – something that makes Permane immensely "proud". 

"It's part of what we're here to do as a team," says Permane. "We like to be an incubator for talent, and that is on the driving side and also the engineering side. 

"To see Isack move up to Red Bull Racing is great. It means they are happy that he is good enough and they have seen enough. I wish him all the success. 

"He goes there full of confidence. I know he's looking forward to Abu Dhabi, to leave us on a high, and he feels the car will be strong there. He's just excited about his future."