Ralf Schumacher warns Liam Lawson why Racing Bulls could still turn to Yuki Tsunoda in 2026

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Liam Lawson won the intra-team battle with Yuki Tsunoda to retain his place on the Formula 1 grid in 2026, but that might not be the end of the story.

Yuki Tsunoda is the only current F1 driver who will not be racing at next year’s Australian Grand Prix, with Red Bull’s reshuffle resulting in Arvid Lindblad being promoted from Formula 2.

Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson are the only two drivers staying where they are within the Red Bull hierarchy, with Isack Hadjar stepping into Tsunoda’s seat after a positive 2025 rookie campaign.

Tsunoda is being retained by Red Bull as a reserve driver, but that’s not necessarily a death knell for his Formula 1 career.

Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo have returned to F1 after falling off the grid, and Ralf Schumacher has refused to rule out a similar scenario for Tsunoda.

This will put Lawson and Lindblad on red alert as the lack of certainty surrounding their drivers’ futures is set to continue into 2026.

READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know

Ralf Schumacher explains how Yuki Tsunoda could return to F1 with Red Bull in 2026

Schumacher was talking about the Red Bull driver situation on the Backstage Boxengasse Podcast.

He said: “Well, I think that’s decided, no question about it, and it makes sense too, because Tsunoda had two races here over the weekend, the Sprint, which looked pretty good.

“The qualifying too, that was such a moment of glory, you could almost call it that, because he really delivered consistently.

“Lawson, who feels very comfortable in the team, which is what you need at Racing Bulls, because you have experience, a new car, everything is new, so you need a familiar quantity to work with.

“And of course, Lindblad is the youngster who has been promoted by Red Bull.

“As you just said, Tsunoda, I think it would be a good idea to keep him as a reserve driver in some form or to keep him at Red Bull.

“And I think that will happen, because one thing is clear: if something goes wrong, it’s good to have someone who knows the team, the car, both teams, so to speak.

“Of course, you can also use him in a great way, at least for next year, and then see how things go.”

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

Liam Lawson entering the most important season of his racing career

Tsunoda will need to take inspiration from the private test at Silverstone that Ricciardo did, which convinced Christian Horner to bring him back to the grid to replace Nyck de Vries.

Honda will still play a key role at Red Bull next year, with their power units required as part of the team’s TPC running.

Considering that Lindblad will be the only rookie on the grid in 2026, he’s going to need as much help as possible before the opening race in Australia.

That will involve plenty of private running, but if Tsunoda can outclass the 18-year-old and things don’t go to plan for Lindblad, then a return might be on the cards.

Likewise, Lawson faces a make-or-break 2026 season, with a return to Red Bull not on the cards and a turbulent driver market expected that might offer him an opportunity outside of the team’s structure.

The issue for Lawson is if Lindblad immediately gets the better of him, and if that happens, then he’ll once again be in a fight with Tsunoda to retain his seat.