Arvid Lindblad Says Yes To More India Tributes After 'Diwali Helmet': "I'm Outspoken About It"

Arvid Lindblad helmet design© X (Twitter)

Arvid Lindblad has wonderfully embraced his Indian heritage during his rookie Formula 1 season in 2026, and the 19-year-old will take it to the next level by sporting a Diwali-themed helmet at the Brazilian Grand Prix. On the weekend of Diwali, the British driver has also brought his grandparents - who hail from Punjab in India - to watch their first-ever F1 race in person. Speaking to NDTV at a media roundtable ahead of the race, Lindblad hinted that there could be more India-themed helmet designs in the future.

"For sure. I've been very outspoken about it... Indian customs and tradition have been something I've grown up with from an early age, and it's really a part of who I am. I celebrate a lot of these holidays, these traditions," Lindblad said.

Much like Diwali this year, Lindblad is open to creative helmet designs to celebrate festivals like Holi.

"If they were to fall during a race, then maybe. No reason why not. Like Diwali this time, it's something we've always celebrated, but this time I wasn't able to celebrate it in our normal way, so I wanted to do a helmet for it.

"If Holi or any of the other big ones fall (during a race), I'd for sure be very open to it," the 19-year-old stated.

Lindblad's Rookie Season

On track, Lindblad has regularly shown his speed in his first F1 season. He made the world take note in his debut race at the Australian Grand Prix, getting up to third in the race at one point, battling the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, and eventually finishing a brilliant P8.

Over the course of the 2026 campaign, Lindblad has often gone toe-to-toe with or even outperformed Liam Lawson, his more-experienced teammate at Racing Bulls.

Heading into the Brazilian Grand Prix, Lindblad sits 11th in the drivers' standings, just four points behind Alpine's Pierre Gasly in 10th.

"Being Top 10 in the championship would be very nice, would be cool in my rookie year to do that. At the same time, that's an outcome goal, an end result that's based on performances. That's the thing I can control, the performances," Lindblad said.

The 19-year-old is more focused on finding his groove, which he admitted had gotten away from him during races like the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia and the Singapore Grand Prix, tracks he'd never raced in previously.

"For me, it's very much about getting back into my rhythm and my flow. After Madrid and Baku, I lost a bit of my rhythm. Austin was a bit of a step forward. Mexico, I really felt like myself in the car.

"So the goal is to try to keep that going. That's what I'm focused on, trying to continue to learn and just perform at my best. If I do that, we'll definitely be able to score some points and maybe it'll enough to be in the Top 10," he concluded.

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