Under threat driver is ‘running out of time’ to achieve his F1 ‘dream’ as 2026 exit chances increase

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Just a handful of seats on the 2026 Formula 1 grid are yet to be decided as Formula 1 prepares to leave Europe.

In an especially rare circumstance, Mercedes are yet to confirm either of their drivers, while Red Bull are still mulling over who to pick for their second seat. The top teams are well aware of how vital the 2026 F1 regulations are going to be, and are taking time to decide on their future.

While the Silver Arrows are expected to retain the same line-up, their rivals are not. Yuki Tsunoda has failed to impress this season, while Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has. Their position in the drivers’ championship says it all.

Red Bull have had a ‘change of mindset’ which helped to spur Max Verstappen on to a third victory of the season at the Italian Grand Prix. His dominance of the entire field, including McLaren, was a big surprise to everyone.

On the other side of the garage, things weren’t so pleasant, as Tsunoda failed to score points once again. Despite that, Red Bull have been told to snub Hadjar in favour of another option for next year. Much like 2024, it seems that they might wait right until the last minute to give confirmation for the following season.

READ MORE: Red Bull have not ‘totally’ ruled out replacing Yuki Tsunoda with five-DNF F1 driver instead of Isack Hadjar

Yuki Tsunoda is ‘running out of time’ to save his Red Bull F1 seat for 2026 and his career ‘dream’

Red Bull are delaying Hadjar’s promotion announcement in a bid to protect Tsunoda, who is still battling to produce results with the RB21. A promotion to the senior team has not done his career any favours this year.

With Honda’s backing of the team set to end after Abu Dhabi, it could leave their driver without a seat in the stable that he has been raised in. Tsunoda could be forced to look elsewhere at an option like Alpine, but his current form isn’t all that convincing.

Now that Red Bull have identified their ‘ideal’ driver line-up, it’s clear that Tsunoda doesn’t have long to secure his future. BBC Sport reports that he is ‘running out of time’ to save his seat, and that he could be off the grid soon.

It could end up crushing his shot at a ‘dream’ he has held for a long time. Before he joined the sport in 2021, he told the official F1 website about his aims.

“My dream is to be a Formula 1 world champion, and if I’d struggled in Formula 2, then this would have been really difficult. I had to deliver in my rookie season, like Lando Norris and George Russell did.”

READ MORE: F1 team chief admits he’s ‘powerless’ to stop Red Bull replacing Yuki Tsunoda with his driver

Does Yuki Tsunoda deserve another chance in Formula 1?

With the sheer number of drivers that have failed next to Verstappen, it’s now pretty clear that the car is at least part of the issue. So many have failed to tame it and deliver to within a few tenths of the four-time champion.

Therefore, Tsunoda’s situation is a tough one to measure. His confidence has taken a hit, but he was driving really well with Racing Bulls last year. Being at Red Bull in 2025 has been an exception, and has left him with his worst Grand Prix result across a whole season, of his career so far.

He’ll be hoping that whatever inroads were made with the RB21 at Monza can be translated to his side of the garage too. He should also receive a new upgrade soon, which his team were only able to give to Verstappen last weekend.