Red Bull told who the ‘hottest candidate’ is to be Max Verstappen’s next teammate, it’s not Isack Hadjar

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Red Bull are holding off their decision on who Max Verstappen’s teammate will be in 2026 as they focus on the 2025 titles.

It was initially believed that Yuki Tsunoda would learn his fate after the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Japanese driver is facing immense pressure to keep his seat after struggling to score consistent points in 2025.

It now seems that the Milton Keynes outfit will delay that decision so that he can focus on helping the team in the constructors’ championship. However, many believe that Red Bull’s judgment on Tsunoda has been made, with the 25-year-old set to leave at the end of the year.

Laurent Mekies and Helmut Marko disagree over Tsunoda’s future, with the former keen to keep him on board, having given him equal machinery to Verstappen upon his arrival. Meanwhile, Marko wants to promote Isack Hadjar from Racing Bulls.

The Frenchman is considered the favourite to join Red Bull in 2026, with Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson set to retain his seat. However, despite an impressive rookie season, which has included a podium at Zandvoort, another driver has been held in higher regard.

Christian Danner calls Arvid Lindblad the ‘hottest candidate’ to be Max Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate

Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is being tipped for the future. The 18-year-old is in his debut season in F2, having acquired an FIA superlicence earlier this year.

The Brit has taken part in numerous private tests in preparation for a move to F1 and took Verstappen’s car for FP1 in Mexico City. Lindblad beat Tsunoda in the session, with many F1 fans calling for the Japanese driver to be dropped.

It is widely believed that Marko wants Lindblad to join Racing Bulls in 2026 alongside Lawson, with Hadjar moving up to Red Bull. But F1 pundit and former driver Christian Danner has labelled the 18-year-old as the ‘hottest candidate’ to join Red Bull.

He said via sport.de: “The second car at Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen is, of course, a very difficult matter. So far, almost everyone who has driven alongside him – with the possible exception of Daniel Ricciardo – has failed.

“This position isn’t necessarily highly sought after. However, Red Bull has an exciting young talent: Arvid Lindblad. He already showed a very strong Friday, and I could imagine him being the hottest candidate for this spot.”

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

Is Arvid Lindblad ready for Formula 1 – let alone Red Bull – in 2026?

Lindblad ‘met all expectations’ in his FP1 outing with Red Bull in Mexico City. He certainly made an impression and put himself more in the shop window for an F1 seat in 2026.

However, Mekies noted that Lindblad and Tsunoda had different fuel loads during the session, with the Brit’s being lower, hence his blistering time. He is a favourite to join Racing Bulls next season, but it can be argued that a move to F1 would be too soon.

Red Bull are waxing lyrical about Lindblad’s talent, and there is no doubt that he has huge potential. However, he must be nurtured and developed first, and with him currently sitting seventh in F2, an immediate promotion to F1 could be detrimental given the pressure.

Karun Chandhok fears Red Bull will make two mistakes with their driver line-up in 2026 – promoting Lindblad too soon and dropping Tsunoda. With the new regulations and Red Bull’s first in-house engine coming, experience would make more sense for the team.