It’s make or break for Yuki Tsunoda at the Qatar GP. The Japanese driver has been on the chopping block at Red Bull for some time, but after the Qatari weekend, he will finally know if he will still be on the grid in 2026. Red Bull will then announce its line-up, as team boss Laurent Mekies reveals: ‘Just one more week of patience.’
While most teams have already finalized their line-up for 2026, Red Bull is keeping its drivers in suspense a little longer. Only Max Verstappen is guaranteed a seat with the Austrians until 2028, leaving current teammate Yuki Tsunoda and Racing Bulls drivers Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson as the only ones without certainty about their F1 future. But not for much longer, as team boss Laurent Mekies now reveals.
“We will announce our line-up immediately after Qatar,” the Frenchman tells Nextgen Auto. “Just one more week of patience.” It’s particularly a tense week for Tsunoda. The Japanese driver replaced the struggling Liam Lawson as Verstappen’s teammate during the last GP Japan. The driver has not been able to make a significant impact throughout the season. With 28 World Championship points, Tsunoda is currently even lower than both Racing Bulls drivers in the drivers’ championship.
Hadjar to Red Bull?
Therefore, it is expected that Isack Hadjar will be promoted to Red Bull for 2026. The Frenchman made a strong impression on advisor Helmut Marko this year. The Red Bull executive even compared Hadjar to former world champions Michael Schumacher and Ayrton Senna: “Most circuits were new to (Hadjar), but after three laps he was competitive everywhere.”
In addition, Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is also a favorite to take a seat at Racing Bulls in 2026. This would mean Tsunoda would have to compete with Liam Lawson for the last spot at Red Bull’s sister team.
