Guenther Steiner convinced one Red Bull driver decision has now been made for 2026

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Red Bull are set to decide their driver line-up after the upcoming Qatar Grand Prix, and Guenther Steiner believes that Racing Bulls’ rookie Isack Hadjar has already had his future agreed.

Isack Hadjar has been one of the unexpected stars of the season at Racing Bulls.

With only two races to go, Hadjar sits in the top 10 of the drivers’ championship and will be the second-best rookie in the standings behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli if he can fend off the late threat from Oliver Bearman.

Hadjar has left Helmut Marko thoroughly impressed this year, with his podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix the standout moment in the young Frenchman’s career.

However, Hadjar still hasn’t signed a new contract for 2026, but former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner isn’t worried about that.

He believes that despite Red Bull making no public announcement yet, Hadjar is already set to replace Yuki Tsunoda alongside Max Verstappen going into next season.

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

Guenther Steiner convinced Isack Hadjar will race for Red Bull in 2026

Steiner was asked during The Red Flags podcast ‘Gas or Brake’ feature whether he thinks Hadjar will be a Red Bull driver next year.

He said: “Full gas. I think Red Bull is planning on doing that, and he’s doing a good job.

“And let’s see what he can do against Max, the animal.”

The discussion moved on to the usefulness of Red Bull’s second seat, and Steiner continued: “No, you cannot do that [just run one car].

“You cannot even change the driver. I think you can change them three times a year.

“You cannot change them every race. The second car, just give him the car which he started the season with.”

Hadjar has been the frontrunner to race for Red Bull for some time, with Tsunoda and Liam Lawson before him, before struggling in their 2025 car.

Verstappen has built the largest gap between F1 teammates in Formula 1 history over Tsunoda, sitting in the standings with a 338-point advantage over the Japanese driver with two races to go.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Racing Bulls star Isack Hadjar looking forward to the decisive Qatar Grand Prix

Hadjar has raced in Qatar before as part of last year’s Formula 2 calendar.

He was arguably under more pressure then than he is this season, with his promotion into F1 not yet secured.

It looked like Hadjar cost himself a Racing Bulls seat in Qatar last year, suffering a late spin while fighting with Bearman for victory.

He ended up losing the championship to Gabriel Bortoleto in Abu Dhabi, but his P4 and P2 finishes in Qatar will give him confidence going into this weekend.

Previewing the race as part of his official pre-weekend media duties, Hadjar said: “We had a very good weekend in Las Vegas, where we scored important points as a team for the constructors’ championship and showed our speed in every condition.

“It feels good to get back to racing this week in Qatar for the penultimate race of the year.

“I really enjoy the layout of this track; there are medium and high-speed corners, which should suit our car well, so I’m feeling confident, and I can’t wait to get going.”