Red Bull and Racing Bulls have both announced their driver line-up for the 2026 Formula 1 season - with Max Verstappen's team-mate confirmed.
Verstappen heads into the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 15 points behind championship leader Lando Norris, meaning he is in with a chance of winning his fifth consecutive Drivers' Championship.
But Red Bull's Constructors' Championship hopes have long since ended, with the other side of the garage picking up a combined total of just 33 points compared to Verstappen's 396.
Liam Lawson started the season as the Dutchman's team-mate but was replaced after two rounds by Yuki Tsunoda.
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Tsunoda has been unable to challenge Verstappen's pace all season, and admitted prior to the Qatar Grand Prix that he was already aware of Red Bull's decision over his future - and that it was something that 'most people know'.
Now, days prior to the end of the 2025 season, Red Bull have officially announced that Tsunoda will not drive for the team in 2026.
He is being replaced by Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar, who picked up his maiden podium by finishing third at the Dutch Grand Prix.
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The Frenchman has scored 13 points more than team-mate Lawson - albeit with two extra races in the Racing Bulls.
His one-lap pace has also been impressive, as Hadjar has reached Q3 in 15 of the 23 races held thus far compared to Lawson's eight.
However, despite being dropped as a full-time driver, Tsunoda will stay as part of Red Bull as their reserve driver for 2026.
The soon-to-be vacated Racing Bulls seat, meanwhile, will be taken by current Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad, who will partner the retained Liam Lawson.
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Red Bull successfully applied for a super licence exemption for the 18-year-old British driver earlier this year to enable him to compete in free practice sessions - in an early indication that they were preparing him for life in Formula 1.
Lindblad, who also holds Swedish nationality, is racing in F2 this season and currently sits in sixth place in the Drivers' Championship.
He has won two races and finished in the points on 10 consecutive occasions during the first half of the season, but his form has dipped since winning the feature race in Spain back in June.
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While an indicator of talent, however, F2 results are not always the biggest factor in determining how a driver will handle the step up to Formula 1.
Oliver Bearman, for instance, only finished 12th in the F2 standings last season before his impressive debut F1 campaign with Haas.
Topics: Red Bull Racing, Formula 1, Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson
Ryan Smart