Red Bull is set to confirm its full 2026 Formula One driver line-up on Tuesday, with growing indications that Yuki Tsunoda will lose his place at the senior team.
According to sources within the paddock and comments from team principal Laurent Mekies, French rookie Isack Hadjar is widely expected to be promoted from Racing Bulls to partner four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing next season. Hadjar has enjoyed an impressive debut year, including a podium at the Dutch Grand Prix and a strong haul of 51 points.
Tsunoda, who finished 10th in Qatar on Sunday, appears increasingly likely to be moved out of the main team as Red Bull reshapes its structure ahead of Honda’s departure to Aston Martin at the end of the year. Despite the uncertainty surrounding his future, Mekies insisted the Japanese driver remains vital to Verstappen’s title push.
“It is mega important… it could be down to the last point. So it will be super important to have Yuki at 100%,” Mekies stressed after the Qatar Grand Prix.
Should Hadjar step up, both seats at Racing Bulls would need filling for 2026. Liam Lawson currently occupies one of them and has outscored Tsunoda by five points since being swapped into the car earlier in the season. The New Zealander finished ninth in Qatar, continuing to strengthen his case for retention.
Tsunoda remains an option for a return to Racing Bulls, while highly rated F2 teenager Arvid Lindblad is also firmly in contention. Lindblad, who only recently turned 18, has impressed the team after Red Bull secured an exemption for him to obtain a super licence last year. In Mexico City, he stunned the paddock by going sixth quickest in first practice while driving Verstappen’s car, outperforming all other non-full-time drivers and even setting a faster time than Tsunoda.
“He did a very good job. The pace is there — not much to argue against that,” Mekies said of Lindblad’s performance.
Max Verstappen’s victory in Qatar kept his hopes of a fifth consecutive world championship alive, with the battle now set to go down to next weekend’s Abu Dhabi finale. Red Bull sit third in the Constructors’ Championship, already out of the title fight claimed by McLaren for a second successive season.
Tsunoda’s contribution to Red Bull’s tally has been limited, with Verstappen scoring a remarkable 396 of the team’s 426 points this year. The Japanese driver has yet to finish higher than sixth in 2025.
With the official announcement now set for Tuesday, Red Bull’s driver reshuffle could mark a major turning point for the team’s future, and bring a likely end to Tsunoda’s time in the senior seat after five seasons.
