Red Bull no longer see one driver as an option to partner Max Verstappen, ‘the word in the paddock’

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Red Bull will soon make their final decision on Max Verstappen’s 2026 teammate. But one driver has dropped out of contention already.

Laurent Mekies is wary of repeating past mistakes, so Red Bull have taken a patient approach. They’re expected to finalise their line-ups around the time of the USA/Mexico City double-header later this month.

That means this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix offers one of the final chances to impress. Of course, the decision at Milton Keynes will have a direct impact on Racing Bulls‘ plans.

After four seasons of relative stability with Verstappen alongside Sergio Perez, Red Bull have had four different drivers in the space of a year. Perez’s immediate replacement, Liam Lawson, lasted just two races, while Yuki Tsunoda has struggled since his call-up.

Yuki Tsunoda is no longer in contention to race for Red Bull next year

Red Bull maintain that nothing is set in stone, but according to Motorsport.com, ‘the word in the paddock’ is that Tsunoda is ‘no longer’ fighting to keep his Red Bull seat.

Instead, the 2021 debutant is ‘battling to stay on the grid’ altogether. His only hope of doing so is returning to his former team, which would be a somewhat sobering outcome for a driver who spent years pushing for a Red Bull opportunity.

The problem for Tsunoda is that Helmut Marko is intent on promoting Arvid Lindblad from Formula 2. Red Bull are still ‘evaluating’ whether he’s ready, but this appears to be the direction of travel.

So while Racing Bulls haven’t ruled out a Tsunoda and Lawson reunion – they raced alongside one another for spells of the 2023 and 2024 seasons – it’s likely that the two drivers are battling for one seat.

Tsunoda could become Aston Martin’s reserve driver as a fall-back option, helped by their newfound partnership with Honda (his backers). That could keep him on the radar in the 2027 driver market, but would clearly put his career at risk.

The only driver who can stop Isack Hadjar joining Red Bull from here

Red Bull have already ruled out bringing Lawson back – privately rather than publicly – so, with Tsunoda out of the picture, it looks like Isack Hadjar has a free run at the seat.

Hadjar has clearly been the second-best performer in the team’s roster this season behind Verstappen. Ninth in the standings with a podium finish to his name already, he may also have the most capacity to improve at the age of 21.

Hadjar could lose out on the seat if his form collapses, but there’s no indication that will happen. Realistically, only a wildcard move could stop him now.

There have been intriguing reports this week that Red Bull have reopened talks with Alex Albon. The team would like to bring him back, confident he could be a solid teammate to Verstappen this time, but Albon is under contract and part of an exciting Williams project.