Laurent Mekies is ‘really struggling’ to drop Yuki Tsunoda due to doubts over one Red Bull driver

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There’s a chance that when the 2025 Formula 1 season ends, Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda will be the only current member of the grid to lose his seat.

Last year saw a flurry of rookies join Formula 1, and the likes of Liam Lawson and Oliver Bearman preparing for their first full seasons in the paddock.

However, just as soon as Lawson was permanently signed by Red Bull, he was replaced by the more experienced Yuki Tsunoda in the hope that he would get closer to Max Verstappen.

After 21 rounds, Tsunoda is 313 points behind his teammate, the largest gap between two drivers on the same team in the drivers’ championship by quite some distance.

Tsunoda’s seat is under serious threat, but team principal Laurent Mekies is having real difficulty letting the Japanese driver go ahead of the 2026 campaign.

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

Laurent Mekies ‘really struggling’ to drop Yuki Tsunoda amid Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad concerns

Journalist Nate Saunders was speaking about the Red Bull driver situation on the Nailing the Apex Podcast.

He said: “The thing with Tsunoda as well is I think Mekies actually likes Tsunoda. I’m not sure if the same was true of Horner, but obviously, he knows what Tsunoda could do at the junior team.

“And also with Lawson and with Hadjar, Mekies has seen all three of them.

“And I actually think, I really liked the way they’ve dealt with the driver dilemma this year, because they don’t need to make the decision anytime soon.

“They’re picking three drivers that they are contracted to, and they have Lindblad, who is a junior driver there.

“So it’s not like they have to pick at any point; no one’s waiting on their decision.

“And I think it’s actually, but I get the sense Mekies is actually really struggling with that call, on like what to do?

“Do we boot Yuki and promote Hadjar? And that seems like deja vu of like, whoa, we just promoted a young driver. Is he ready?

“Are we going to churn him up too quickly and then do the same with Lindblad? So I think there has been a big change in that sense.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad including his parents

Why Red Bull are having doubts about Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad ahead of 2026

Although Mekies isn’t sure about promoting Isack Hadjar, the young Frenchman has had a very impressive rookie campaign.

Hadjar is open to partnering with Verstappen next season, despite initially being unsure whether he was ready for the step up.

The bigger question mark surrounds Red Bull junior driver Arvid Lindblad.

Lindblad already has the required superlicense points to race in Formula 1 despite being 18 years old, but his F2 campaign has showcased the reasons why Red Bull are both excited by his potential, but also worried about promoting him too quickly.

The British teenager has won in Saudi Arabia and Spain, but also made several big mistakes, including crashing into Alex Dunne at Monza.

He’s no longer in championship contention, meaning he could spend another year at F2 level to continue gaining more experience.

Helmut Marko is willing to overlook some of Lindblad’s shortcomings to get him into Formula 1 next year.

However, with a new set of regulations to contend with in 2026, Red Bull might end up opting for Tsunoda’s experience over Lindblad’s potential.