In a striking snapshot of ambition, talent and growing influence across Britain, two British Indians have secured a place on the Young Power List 2026, a line-up of the 30 most inspiring under-30s in the UK, spanning politics, business, culture, science and social impact.
The list spotlights rising figures reshaping modern Britain, among them 18-year-old F1 driver Arvid Lindblad and 28-year-old food creator and author Seema Pankhania, whose careers reflect very different paths but a shared trajectory of early impact.
Lindblad, who races for Racing Bulls in Formula One, has already made waves in motorsport history. Born to a Swedish father and a British Indian mother, he stands out as Britain’s youngest F1 driver. He has been competing at the sport’s highest level, marking his Red Bull debut this year with an impressive eighth-place finish at the Australian Grand Prix and securing four championship points in a strong opening run to the season.
As for Pankhania; her journey began far from social media stardom. Diagnosed at 13 with Hodgkin lymphoma, a blood cancer, she grew up in an Indian household in Slough where food was central to family life. During treatment and recovery, she found comfort in daytime cooking programmes, an early spark that would later shape her career.
Now based in London, she has come full circle, fronting Tesco Kitchen on YouTube alongside Greg James, and appearing on programmes such as Saturday Kitchen and the Diwali special Celebration Kitchen. Her debut cookbook, Craveable: All I Want to Eat (2024), reflects her accessible style, with recipes designed to be “easy enough for anybody to make”.
With more than 1.8 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, including 1.7 million likes on her butter chicken video alone, Pankhania’s digital reach is significant.
Together, their inclusion underscores a broader story behind the list: the expanding presence of British Indians shaping national life through sport, creativity and innovation. The Young Power List 2026 ultimately celebrates a generation translating ambition into action, and influence into impact.
