Red Bull fear they could lose out on £38m if they announce that Yuki Tsunoda is leaving

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Max Verstappen is expected to welcome Isack Hadjar to Red Bull in 2026 as his fourth teammate in 13 months, but they have delayed announcing Yuki Tsunoda’s F1 future.

Tsunoda is fighting for a place on the 2026 grid, as the 25-year-old is currently set to be out of contract at Red Bull after the 2025 F1 season. The Japanese ace has also struggled since trading seats with Liam Lawson, who only replaced Sergio Perez at Red Bull last December.

A return to Racing Bulls in the 2026 campaign is now seen as Tsunoda’s last chance to stay on the grid, with Red Bull expected to promote Hadjar. Yet Red Bull’s decision is complicated as they are also weighing up retaining Lawson and promoting academy talent Arvid Lindblad.

Motorsport adviser Helmut Marko had declared that Red Bull would decide their 2026 driver line-ups after the 2025 Mexico City GP. But team boss Laurent Mekies shared in Mexico that Red Bull have now delayed deciding Tsunoda’s future until around the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Red Bull fear announcing that Isack Hadjar is replacing Yuki Tsunoda could cost them P2 in the constructors’ standings

It also now seems to be a straight fight between Tsunoda and Lawson for the second Racing Bulls seat next to Lindblad on the 2026 grid. According to Blick, Red Bull have already struck a preliminary agreement to promote F2 prospect Lindblad into F1 with Racing Bulls in 2026.

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

But Red Bull are struggling to release Tsunoda or current Racing Bulls driver Lawson, as they fear announcing that either racer will leave their stable at the end of 2025 might harm both teams’ hopes in the constructors’ championship ahead of the final four rounds of the term.

Red Bull hope to keep Tsunoda motivated, as they only trail Ferrari and Mercedes by 10 and nine points in their fight for second place in the F1 constructors’ standings. Racing Bulls also want to keep Lawson motivated, as the Faenza outfit bid to seal sixth place in the standings.

Finishing fourth instead of second in the constructors’ standings would see Red Bull lose out on an additional $50m (£38m) in prize money. But Red Bull have fought singlehandedly with Verstappen in the 2025 season, with the Dutchman securing 321 of their 346 points to date.

Yuki Tsunoda is in a straight fight with Liam Lawson over a 2026 Racing Bulls F1 seat

Tsunoda has only scored 25 points since he replaced Lawson in Red Bull’s line-up from the third round of the 2025 season back in March. The Kanagawa native has also only scored points in three of the past 13 Grands Prix, along with in the F1 Sprint at the United States GP.

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

But any points from Tsunoda over the final four rounds of the season would go a long way in helping Red Bull seal second in the constructors’ standings. Any points in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar or Abu Dhabi might even prove to be huge in helping Red Bull decide Tsunoda’s future.

It is said that Mekies and Marko disagree about Tsunoda’s F1 future, with the team principal still supporting the Japanese driver retaining his seat while the Red Bull adviser is pushing to promote Hadjar. All the while, Tsunoda is also fighting Lawson for a 2026 Racing Bulls seat.