Red Bull are to submit a request to the FIA to grant them an exemption to allow one of their drivers under the age of 18 to be handed a superlicence.

Helmut Marko confirmed the Austrian team are keen to get Arvind Lindblad, their 17-year-old talent, behind the wheel as a reserve driver.

However, FIA rules currently state that drivers under the age of 18 cannot race unless a special exemption is granted.

“We have Ayumu Iwasa as our reserve driver,” Marko told Auto Motor und Sport. “Lindblad has the points for the superlicence. We also completed a 300km test with him in a Formula 1 car at Imola, so he could theoretically step in.

“But he doesn’t turn 18 until September. That’s why we’re currently applying to the FIA for an exemption for the super licence. Antonelli got it, too. We see no reason why the same shouldn’t be true for Lindblad. Then we’d already have two drivers on the bench.”