F1 paddock insiders think Laurent Mekies wants to make his mark with bold 2026 Red Bull driver call

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New Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies looks set to make his mark by naming his preferred driver line-up for the 2026 Formula 1 season.

F1 Oversteer sources have been told that Laurent Mekies is expected to use this opportunity to promote Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls to partner Max Verstappen next season.

That would leave Yuki Tsunoda as the latest driver to be dropped by Red Bull without completing a full season.

However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the Japanese driver’s Formula 1 career is over.

The joy of Red Bull controlling two teams on the grid could offer Tsunoda a lifeline alongside his old teammate Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls.

There’s another driver on Mekies and Helmut Marko’s radar that could pose a problem for both of those drivers in their bids to stay on the grid in 2026.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull team principal and CEO Laurent Mekies

Laurent Mekies expected to promote Isack Hadjar to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen in 2026

Sources have told F1 Oversteer that Mekies is a huge fan of Hadjar from their time working together at Racing Bulls.

Mekies was promoted to Red Bull after Christian Horner’s sacking, but in that time, he witnessed Hadjar secure his first Formula 1 podium.

It means there are only five active drivers left on the grid who haven’t finished on the podium, including Tsunoda and Lawson.

Many people in the paddock believe that the Frenchman will definitely be promoted to race alongside Verstappen when F1’s new regulations are introduced next year.

The timing of the ruleset changes should work in Hadjar’s favour, as Red Bull’s car should theoretically be less tuned to Verstappen’s incredibly tricky driving style.

Although Red Bull don’t specifically build their cars for Verstappen, over the current regulation set, his success has been so vital to the team that it’s no wonder they’ve followed his suggestions, albeit to the detriment of his teammates.

F1 Oversteer also understands that Racing Bulls are considering a pairing of Tsunoda and Lawson for 2026.

However, Arvid Lindblad is still very much a driver Marko in particular wants to bring into Formula 1 as quickly as possible.

Lindblad is undergoing intense preparations behind the scenes at Red Bull to be ready for a potential promotion in 2026.

However, he’s unlikely to win the Formula 2 championship, which might allow Red Bull to delay their decision on Lindblad for a year while they establish which driver they want alongside him.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Yuki Tsunoda names the ‘toughest’ moment of his Formula 1 career

Tsunoda theoretically has eight races left this season to convince Mekies to stick with him in 2026.

Mekies has set Tsunoda a challenge to keep his seat, but the Japanese driver sits 19th in the drivers’ championship, and it seems unlikely that he’ll be able to turn his form around at this stage before a decision is made.

Less than a year ago, Tsunoda qualified third in Sao Paulo and had one of his best races in Formula 1.

He looked like the obvious choice to replace the faltering Sergio Perez before Red Bull opted for Lawson and deprived him of a pre-season before his promotion.

However, Tsunoda’s toughest moment in F1 came earlier in his career, during the sweltering heat of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

He’ll be hoping when he returns to the Lusail circuit later in the year that his future is still up for debate.