Red Bull announces F1 2026 line-ups; Piastri misses Abu Dhabi FP1 – round-up
Yuki Tsunoda will be demoted by Red Bull; Oscar Piastri misses Abu Dhabi FP1
It is time to bring you up to speed with the key headlines from a very busy day in the world of Formula 1.
Red Bull has announced the drivers who will form their Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls line-ups for F1 2026. It is bad news for Yuki Tsunoda. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri will start the Abu Dhabi title-decider on the back foot. Let us take a closer look.
Red Bull F1 2026 line-ups announced
Max Verstappen has a new Red Bull teammate for F1 2026, as Isack Hadjar makes the step up.
Liam Lawson remains with Racing Bulls, partnered by teenage hot prospect Arvid Lindblad.
The big loser in this reshuffle: Yuki Tsunoda.
Read more – Yuki Tsunoda receives new Red Bull role in F1 2026 driver shakeup
Oscar Piastri to miss Abu Dhabi GP FP1
Before focus turns to F1 2026, there is the very significant matter of a title decider to attend to this weekend.
Lando Norris, Verstappen and Piastri all head to Abu Dhabi with a chance to become world champion, but Piastri will have one hour less practice to prepare himself, as he needs to satisfy the FIA requirement on F1 rookie sessions.
That means Pato O’Ward will be in Piastri’s car for the first hour of practice.
Read more – Oscar Piastri to miss Abu Dhabi GP FP1 as McLaren reserve steps in
Lando Norris and Arvid Lindblad footage resurfaces
By securing his Formula 1 call-up, Lindblad has delivered on a promise that he once made to Norris.
Footage has re-emerged of the moment that Lindblad told Norris to “remember me”, as he would see him “in five years”. Mission accomplished.
Read more – Lindblad delivers on Lewis Hamilton-inspired promise to Lando Norris
All you need to know about Arvid Lindblad
The 18-year-old Brit, born to a Swedish father and Indian mother, is a prospect who Red Bull has very high hopes for.
Ahead of his debut, we have brought together all the information you need on Arvid Lindblad, a potential future star of the sport.
Read more – Who is Arvid Lindblad? The Red Bull junior tipped for future Formula 1 success
Has Red Bull got this right?
Now that Red Bull has confirmed the driver pairings for its two teams, the F1 2026 grid is complete.
The Red Bull decisions are sure to spark plenty of debate, so the PlanetF1.com team has weighed in. The decision to drop Tsunoda to test/reserve, proves a particularly hot topic, with Red Bull widely backed over that choice to drop the Japanese driver.
Read more – Opinion: Was Red Bull right to drop Yuki Tsunoda?
