With Liam Lawson in Red Bull, Isack Hadjar set to be promoted to Racing Bulls. Isack Hadjar will join Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls.

No official announcements have been made yet, but they may arrive in the coming days. Today, a Red Bull meeting took place in Dubai, where strategic decisions related to the F1 program were on the agenda.

During the Yas Marina weekend, the first clear report emerged indicating that Liam Lawson is the preferred candidate to replace Sergio Perez as Max Verstappen’s teammate. This decision also necessitates finding a replacement for the New Zealander at Racing Bulls.

According to information gathered in the Abu Dhabi paddock, Red Bull’s leadership has already decided who will fill Lawson’s spot, and the choice has fallen on Isack Hadjar. The 20-year-old French driver, who joined Red Bull’s junior program at the start of 2021, finished second in the F2 championship last weekend at Yas Marina after a close battle with Gabriel Bortoleto.

Tomorrow, Hadjar will take to the track with Red Bull during the Abu Dhabi rookie test, alongside Yuki Tsunoda, who will drive a Red Bull for the first time, focusing on Pirelli tire tests. Racing Bulls will feature Lawson as the Pirelli tester and Iwasa in the rookie role.

For Hadjar, who has overtaken Iwasa in the Red Bull junior team hierarchy, this marks an opportunity to make his F1 debut alongside Tsunoda. Regarding the Japanese driver, there was a last-minute attempt by Honda to persuade Christian Horner and Helmut Marko to consider him as Perez’s successor, but according to information obtained by *Motorsport.com*, the decision has already been made in favor of Lawson.

Additionally, Franco Colapinto appears to be stepping away from the Red Bull sphere. Between the Austin and Mexico City Grands Prix, there was confirmed interest from Marko, but it did not progress beyond an exploratory phase.

The halt may have been influenced by Williams’ conditions for releasing the Argentine driver, as well as Colapinto’s underwhelming performances starting with the Mexico Grand Prix. Currently absent from the Yas Marina tests, Colapinto seems set to remain within the orbit of the British team as a reserve driver.