Red Bull hold ‘all the cards’ in critical F1 2026 driver decisions

Laurent Mekies says Red Bull don’t need to rush into any driver decisions for next year, given all its current scenarios are covered under contract.

While Max Verstappen will pilot one Red Bull in F1 2026, the identity of his teammate and those of who will be driving the Racing Bulls cars next year are yet to be revealed.

Laurent Mekies: Red Bull not in a rush

Isack Hadjar has positioned himself as a frontrunner for many to step up to Red Bull in 2026, as he continues to piece together an impressive rookie F1 campaign. Yuki Tsunoda meanwhile is bidding to defend his Red Bull seat, and potentially his F1 career.

But, Red Bull will take their time in deciding their future driver line-ups. For Tsunoda, his mission is clear after a bruising experience alongside four-time World Champion Max Verstappen.

“Yeah, of course. It’s the same, same target. We want that gap between the two drivers to be as close as possible. We need the points from Yuki so he’s making progress,” Red Bull team boss Mekies confirmed to Sky F1.

“We all want more, and we try to give him enough time and space for him to get more and more comfortable with the car and to get closer to Max.

“We’ve said it again and again. We don’t feel in a rush. Because why would we be in a rush? No, our drivers are under contract with us.

“We have all the cards. We are trying to give them the best possible conditions for them to make progress. We know Yuki needs that time and to show his progress, and we try to give as much of that time as we can.”

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Red Bull does have the luxury of options within its driver pool. Liam Lawson is also racing to secure his future with one of the Red Bull teams, while teenager Arvid Lindblad is staking his claim for a spot on the F1 2026 grid.

Lindblad won the 2025 Formula Regional title, and has claimed several race wins as a Formula 2 rookie.

F1 2026 will be a journey into the great unknown, with sweeping chassis and engine regulation changes to come into force.

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