Red Bull targeting exciting swoop for ‘world-class’ driver to partner Max Verstappen in 2026

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Red Bull Racing have been facing a dilemma for some time when it comes to the long-term future of their driver line-up.

It speaks volumes that when Red Bull felt they needed to replace Alex Albon at the end of the 2020 season, they went for Sergio Perez rather than one of the many drivers in their setup.

Unfortunately, Red Bull have now reached the point where they are going to struggle to justify stick with Perez going forward.

The Mexican is a long way behind Max Verstappen in the standings and his performances are likely to cost Red Bull the Constructors’ Championship this year.

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It means Christian Horner and Helmut Marko are looking at every option to potentially replace him.

Yuki Tsunoda has been named as a candidate to replace Perez, although his new teammate Liam Lawson is also auditioning for a Red Bull promotion.

There have even been suggestions that Red Bull coach poach Franco Colapinto from Williams to help fill the gap at RB if either of their current drivers are called up in Perez’s place.

A report from F1 Insider suggests that Red Bull are now looking much further up the Drivers’ Championship to sign their next superstar.

McLaren could win their first title since 1998 this year, and that’s down to the performances of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

Red Bull sense an opportunity though and believe they could bring in Piastri for the 2026 season to partner with their three-time world champion.

Red Bull want to sign McLaren star Oscar Piastri for the 2026 F1 season

The report suggests that Red Bull have set their sights on Piastri to race alongside Verstappen in 2026.

However, they also believe that he’s a realistic candidate to lead the team going forward, should Verstappen leave.

Aston Martin are keen on Verstappen, while Toto Wolff has made his interest in Verstappen known for quite some time, and Red Bull can’t rule out the Dutchman moving on in the future.

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F1 Insider believe Mercedes is a ‘very realistic’ option for the 27-year-old, meaning Red Bull need to start preparing for the future now.

Asked about the situation, Marko said: “Let’s put it this way: Mark Webber is looking for intensive dialogue.”

Webber is Piastri’s manager and has a strong connection with Red Bull having raced for the team.

He’ll also know better than most what it’s like to be a number two driver and will want to avoid that situation playing out at McLaren where Piastri has been asked to support Norris’s championship challenge, something F1 Insider suggest he ‘doesn’t like at all’.

Why Red Bull are so keen on signing Oscar Piastri

Piastri has been described as ‘world-class’ by Nico Rosberg this season, via Sky Sports F1, and already has two Grand Prix wins to his name.

One ‘decisive factor’ in Red Bull wanting Piastri is that he’s got a ‘cold-blooded’ nature both on and off the track.

Piastri has been compared to Verstappen in the past and of the drivers currently on the grid, arguably shares the most similarities with the triple-world champion.

The Australian’s career trajectory has been extremely impressive and a move from McLaren to Red Bull could be the final step he needs to take to reach the top of Formula 1.

However, it would be interesting to see how Verstappen reacted to arguably having his strongest teammate to date.