People in the paddock fear 101-point driver could be ‘out of Formula 1 altogether’ before 2026

Follow us on Google Discover

It looks like the Formula 1 driver market might finally be about to take centre stage in the paddock this season, albeit in a far less dramatic way than last year.

Only two teams didn’t dip into the F1 driver market last season, with McLaren and Aston Martin sticking with both of their drivers into 2025.

This year should be calmer, but Cadillac look set to confirm Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas as their first Formula 1 drivers, which might force some of their new rivals into action.

Mercedes are preparing to continue with George Russell, and it would be a surprise to see Andrea Kimi Antonelli not join him on the grid in 2026.

Antonelli might be offered a short-term contract, keeping the door open for Max Verstappen should he decide to quit Red Bull, adding another layer of intrigue to next season’s negotiations.

Red Bull are one of three teams that will be at the centre of talks between now and the end of the season, alongside Racing Bulls and Alpine.

Franco Colapinto’s future is hanging by a thread, but the other teams are all interconnected.

Journalist and paddock insider Tim Hauraney has shared what people are telling him within the sport about the trio of Red Bull drivers still waiting on a contract for next year, and why Yuki Tsunoda could be the man to miss out.

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

People in the paddock think Yuki Tsunoda will miss out on a Red Bull contract for 2026

Hauraney was speaking on The Ringer Podcast about the driver situation within the Red Bull set-up.

F1 Oversteer understands that Red Bull will find it difficult to overlook Arvid Lindblad, meaning one of their current drivers needs to move on.

Hauraney explained: “Some of the folks who I’ve spoken with in the paddock seem to think that it could be they take Lindblad, they put him at Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson.

“They take Isack Hadjar, they move him into Yuki Tsunoda’s seat, beside Max Verstappen for next season and either Tsunoda becomes a reserve driver or he’s out of Formula 1 altogether. And so that would be sad to see.

“I am of the opinion that I think Yuki deserves another season. I mean, granted, he did want this. He did want that second seat alongside Max Verstappen.

“And I think people were saying, hey, maybe stay at Racing Bulls. And then part of it is, did he really have a choice? That’s the other side of that coin.

“I just feel that they owe it to him to at least give him one more year alongside Max. See what the car is like. Maybe it’s good. Maybe it’s something that adapts well to his driving style. Maybe they do make a car that’s more of an all-arounder, more so than a car that’s more geared towards what Max does and have Max sort it out.

“And so that would be interesting for me, like you would say, with those two teams and those three seats at the end of the day.

“But I think it’s probably going to look something like Verstappen, Hadjar, Lawson, maybe Lindblad.”

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

Yuki Tsunoda still waiting for Red Bull ‘parity’ in his quest to earn a 2026 F1 contract

Tsunoda hasn’t had the easiest time since his promotion from Racing Bulls, experiencing many of the same issues as Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson before him.

One thing that appears to have changed since Mekies came in is his willingness to give Tsunoda more of a level playing field.

Tsunoda doesn’t have parity with Verstappen yet, but he is being handed more up-to-date parts than in the past when Horner was in charge.

The challenge for the Japanese driver is to make use of those parts when he’s handed them, with the development of his car hampered by his crash in qualifying at Imola.

He’s only scored seven of his 101 career points since his promotion at the Japanese Grand Prix, a number that needs to increase quickly if he stands any chance of being retained.

Otherwise, Arvid Lindblad will become the latest Red Bull Junior Team graduate into Formula 1, and Isack Hadjar will have to start preparing to be Verstappen’s newest teammate.