Christian Horner privately ‘indicated’ what Red Bull’s 2026 driver line-up would be just before his sacking

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Before Christian Horner discovered he was going to be dismissed by Red Bull Racing, he was already preparing for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Red Bull relieved Christian Horner of his duties after the British Grand Prix, when there was still plenty of uncertainty surrounding the future of Max Verstappen.

Verstappen was being heavily linked with Mercedes, while Yuki Tsunoda was suffering from a dip in form that he’s still trying to get out of.

Horner was never fully convinced by Tsunoda, and while new team principal Laurent Mekies is determined to give him more of a chance, he’s still sat near the bottom of the drivers’ championship.

Former F1 commentator and journalist James Allen was speaking to Dutch reporter Ronald Vording about Horner’s plans for 2026 and beyond at Red Bull.

It appears as though Horner had already seen something in Isack Hadjar before his miraculous podium at the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend.

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Christian Horner was preparing to promote Isack Hadjar before being sacked by Red Bull

Speaking on the James Allen on F1 Podcast, the future of Red Bull’s driver line-up was being discussed.

Allen then revealed: “I mean, Christian Horner indicated to me a few days before Red Bull sacked him, that Hadjar would be moving up the following year.”

Vording reacted and explained: “Helmut Marko always rated him very, very highly and he was pretty convinced that he would succeed in Formula 1.

“On the future, it was interesting. I had a chat again with Helmut Marko in Zandvoort after the race.

“We had first of all the media session with Laurent Mekies, who said exactly the same as you, James, that this is not just a bit of luck getting a podium.

“He said he put the car on merit on P4, made no mistake in the race with a Ferrari and the Mercedes behind him.

“But then downstairs, I walked into Helmut Marko, and so I asked him, how difficult is it to find the right balance between rewarding him for an outstanding rookie season by giving him the promotion?

“But at the same time, you don’t want to do it too early because you don’t want to ruin his career before it actually starts.

“And the answer that Helmut Marko gave me was really interesting because he said, ‘Isack is different.’

“It tells you a lot about how people within Red Bull look at him. And then he said, ‘We’ve got, for sure, another good one coming through.”

Hadjar is considered the frontrunner to replace Tsunoda, and there are mixed reports that a move might have already been agreed.

However, the next four races are expected to be essential if Tsunoda wants to prove to Red Bull that Horner was wrong and that he deserves to stay on the grid alongside Verstappen in 2026.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls 2025 F1 driver Isack Hadjar? Everything you need to know

Helmut Marko extremely impressed with Isack Hadjar after his Dutch Grand Prix podium

Lewis Hamilton led the praise for Hadjar after finishing third at Zandvoort, but chief advisor Helmut Marko wasn’t far behind.

Marko is an influential character at Red Bull, and when it came to discussing the Frenchman he’s dubbed ‘Little Prost’, Vording explained: “About his mental strength, he also looked at the Zandvoort weekend and he said, ‘Don’t forget, he missed one practice session on Friday with a battery issue, missed the other half of the other practice session also, and still he went to Marko, and that tells you something about confidence.

“Hadjar went to Marko, and he said, ‘Yeah, don’t worry, because I think I will still qualify in the top five.’

“And then he delivered on it by putting the car on the second row.

“I asked, Do you think he could deal with the pressure of sitting next to Max Verstappen? And he just said, ‘Yes.’

“I think that tells you a lot about what’s going to happen at Red Bull.”

The level of confidence displayed by Hadjar will encourage Marko and Red Bull, however, their only worry is that a promotion might be coming too soon in his career.

However, Horner clearly saw something in him before his dismissal, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Mekies ends up coming to the same conclusion.