Red Bull Racing have reportedly decided which driver will join sister team Visa Cash App Red Bull for the 2026 season with a current Formula 1 star facing the axe.
Over the years, Red Bull have been known for making ruthless decisions when it comes to their driver line-ups.
Prior to the 2025 campaign, Liam Lawson was confirmed as Max Verstappen's teammate, only for the New Zealander to be replaced after just two races.
In turn, Red Bull promoted Yuki Tsunoda from Racing Bulls to partner Verstappen.
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However, the Japanese driver has failed to impress since taking over from Lawson, putting his future with the team in doubt.
Meanwhile, rookie Isack Hadjar has caught the attention, having produced a string of impressive performances alongside Lawson at Racing Bulls.
Looking ahead to 2026, it has been reported that Red Bull have made a decision on Racing Bulls' line-up.
According to Dutch journalist Erik van Haren, Red Bull are set to put highly-rated youngster Arvid Lindblad in one of the two Racing Bulls seats.
He also stated that Hadjar will be promoted to Red Bull and drive alongside Verstappen next season.
This means that Tsunoda and Lawson will be fighting for the one remaining seat at Racing Bulls.
As per F1 Oversteer, Van Haren said on De Telegraaf’s Formula 1 podcast: "So it’s clear that Lawson and Tsunoda are both still not really sure of their places, because we know that Lindblad is going to be the fourth driver.
"We know that Hadjar will be driving alongside Verstappen next year and that, according to our information, it’s basically between Tsunoda and Lawson."
He added: "Because the other two I just mentioned basically know that this is going to happen, but they don’t know what’s going to happen yet.
"So they’re still fighting for that last spot at Racing Bulls. But they’re really stirring things up against each other now, aren’t they? Tsunoda said that Lawson bothers him a lot."
F1 will return this weekend with the Mexican Grand Prix, taking place around the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez.
Topics: Red Bull Racing, Formula 1, Max Verstappen, Liam Lawson
Marcus Chan