Juan Pablo Montoya tells Red Bull to send Racing Bulls hopeful ‘to Japan’ instead of giving him F1 seat

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Red Bull appear to have identified three contenders for the two 2026 Racing Bulls seats. Juan Pablo Montoya is clear on who he’d pick.

One of the candidates is Liam Lawson. Despite a strong run of form – his P5 finish at the Azerbaijan GP made it 26 points in seven weekends – Lawson won’t be returning to Red Bull.

Isack Hadjar is far more likely to get that drive, unseating Yuki Tsunoda. 2021 debutant Tsunoda could return to Racing Bulls, having spent four years at the sister team before his call-up at the start of this season.

The new name in the conversation is Arvid Lindblad. The 18-year-old F2 driver is currently the hottest prospect in the Red Bull academy, which naturally gives him a stronger chance of joining the proving-ground team.

Juan Pablo Montoya says Arvid Lindblad should spend a year in Super Formula

In a previous interview, Montoya said Lindblad isn’t yet ready for F1. And he’s just reiterated those concerns on the AS Colombia YouTube channel.

Montoya’s son, Sebastian, races against Lindblad in Formula 2. The Colombian has seen the 18-year-old, who’s currently seventh in the standings, make ‘many mistakes’.

As such, he’d send Lindblad to Super Formula in Japan for a season, and reunite Lawson and Tsunoda at Racing Bulls. They could then re-evaluate their options in a year.

Lawson raced in Super Formula in 2023, finishing second in the championship either side of replacing an injured Daniel Ricciardo.

“The rumour is that Hadjar is moving up to Red Bull, and they are between Lindblad, Lawson and Yuki [for Racing Bulls],” said Montoya. “That decision is not easy.

“What would I do personally? I would send Lindblad to Japan for a year like they did with Lawson, give everyone another year and look where all the people are.

“I don’t know if Lindblad is ready. He has very good speed, but he has made many mistakes in F2.”

Which Super Formula champions have driven in Formula 1?

Ralf Schumacher is perhaps the most notable winner of the Super Formula championship. He lifted the trophy in 1996, a year before making his F1 debut in Jordan.

Pedro de la Rosa, who later drove for McLaren, was also one of the victors in the ’90s. But the series seems to have fallen down the pecking order, with Japanese drivers like Kazuki Nakajima and Kamui Kobayashi moving to Super Formula after leaving F1.

Red Bull do have reservations about Lindblad at this stage, but it may make more sense to give him a second year in Formula 2. Gabriel Bortoleto, Oliver Bearman and, most pertinently, Hadjar all spent two seasons in the category.

By contrast, Kimi Antonelli stepped up to F1 after a single F2 campaign, and some have questioned whether the step came too soon.

What’s more, while the Super Formula calendar includes two stops at Suzuka, F2 exclusively races at F1 venues on the sport’s ‘undercard’, which means it should offer more useful preparation.