Red Bull’s 2026 seat dilemma: Yuki Tsunoda, Isack Hadjar, and the hunt for Max Verstappen’s teammate. Red Bull is taking its time to decide Max Verstappen’s 2026 teammate.

The Red Bull seat still undecided

The driver market has not yet closed. While the paddock eagerly anticipates the 2026 season and potential moves in 2026–2027, some drivers still don’t know if they will have a seat next year. This uncertainty affects Red Bull and Racing Bulls, with three drivers under scrutiny. Max Verstappen is the untouchable centerpiece at Milton Keynes—the driver for whom the team would move mountains. The others, however, still have everything to prove.

Yuki Tsunoda’s disastrous season with the RB21 seemed to rule him out of the future plans for both teams. However, the performance of Liam Lawson—poor in his first two races with Red Bull but impressive upon returning to Faenza—may have caused Helmut Marko and Laurent Mekies to reconsider. The key question now revolves around Isack Hadjar: the French driver has shown he deserves a chance in the main team, but is Milton Keynes willing to take that risk?

Hadjar: between Red Bull and Racing Bulls, an uncertain future

The young talent from Faenza remains calm, patiently awaiting a decision. He stated, “I’m used to waiting. Throughout my career, I have never signed a contract or received an official announcement before the season ended. I’ve always had to keep my head down and push until the last lap. For me, this is nothing new, and that’s how it works with Red Bull.”

A decision could come during the season’s final triple-header, spanning Las Vegas, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Arvid Lindblad is also awaiting news, repeatedly linked to Racing Bulls, yet his official announcement has yet to arrive.