Like the slow extraction of a tooth, the long and painful process of confirming all four Red Bull drivers for the 2026 season is, at last, over. We know now what we have known for a while, that Kiwi F1 driver Liam Lawson will retain his seat with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls team for the 2026 season. It has been like knowing you’ve passed and exam but not actually knowing until you get the official confirmation. Everyone breathes a sigh of relief!
His 2025 French teammate Isack Hadjar will deservedly move up to become Max Verstappen’s teammate at Oracle Red Bull Racing while Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda will not be a full-time driver on the 2026 F1 grid. Formula 2 driver Arvid Lindblad moves into Hadjar’s seat alongside Lawson at Racing Bulls.
For the doubters, unless politics and/or major money came into the equation, there was never a good enough reason for Lawson to be omitted from the grid. Once he settled into his Racing Bulls seat, his performances have been very solid, and he has continued to collect the highly valued Constructor’s Championship points for the team. There is unrealised potential here and both too much time and investment from Red Bull for him to be culled. Yes, there is room for improvement, particularly in qualifying, yet he hardly ever crashes and can be relied on for race consistency.
Lawson will be fine next season along as he consistently finishes ahead of new teammate Lindblad and particularly in qualifying where more often than not, he has failed to register his quickest lap.
Having a strong association with Honda engine supplier coupled with Red Bull’s switch to Ford power for 2026, it didn’t make sense to retain Yuki Tsunoda. Arguably he has long ago reached his level of competence. His F1 potential has been realised, and it is time for him to move to other categories. His retention as a reserve driver may be for two reasons. First there is not a qualified enough driver waiting in the wings to be switched into either Red Bull or Racing Bulls teams if one of their 2026 drivers is unable to drive. Secondly, Red Bull may need to retain their relationship with Honda as they still require Honda engines for their testing of previous F1 cars.
With consistent qualifying and race results, it is logical that Hadjar moves into Tsunoda’s seat. Despite his major mistake in heading to the Australian Grand Prix grid way back in March, Hadjar has rarely put a foot wrong and now has a reputation for making it through to Q3 and then scoring good GP points.
Arvid Lindblad is next in the Red Bull Junior queue, and it is his time to step up. Congratulations to him, now it is time to step up again.
Let the 2026 show begin!
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