A star of the Red Bull junior driver programme has been announced as the final piece of the puzzle in a 2025 signing announcement.
Red Bull boasts a whole host of young talent signed to their roster, with the programme aimed at preparing the stars of motorsport for a future in Formula 1.
Instead, McLaren claimed the team championship for the first time since 1998 after battling with Red Bull all year.
Next year's Red Bull lineup will consist of Verstappen and recently promoted Liam Lawson who are both a product of the team's junior programme, as is young star Isack Hadjar, who also received a boost into F1 as a result of the shakeup at the main team.
Another product of Red Bull's fruitful driver development is Arvid Lindblad, a British-Swedish racer who will also benefit from the shuffle in the order at Red Bull next season with a promotion to F2.
The 17-year-old finished fourth in F3 this past season, taking four wins and a further podium, making history at the 2024 British GP by being the first F3 driver to sweep a race weekend by winning both the Sprint and Feature Races.
With the young star's career trajectory so far setting him up for F1, he received further backing recently after the team's advisor, Helmut Marko, declared Lindblad his top pick to take over the championship-winning reigns once Verstappen is no longer in the picture.
As well as racing in F2 next year, Lindblad has now been announced as the final signing for the 2025 Formula Regional Oceania Championship with M2 Competition, clearly keen to keep his racing skills up to scratch over the winter break.
In a post on the M2 Competition's Instagram, Lindblad was welcomed with a return for Red Bull as a result:
"Welcome aboard @arvid.lindblad and welcome back @redbulljuniorteam
"Our 2025 driver lineup is now complete.
"We train tomorrow's racing stars like no other team 💪"
The championship starts on January 10th and will continue for five consecutive weekends, ending on February 9th, over a month before Lindblad's first F2 season commences.