Red Bull boss confirms F1 2026 driver announcement timeline
Red Bull is poised to confirm its F1 2026 driver lineup.
The fates of Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda are set to be clarified on Tuesday, with Red Bull expected to confirm its F1 2026 lineup.
Three of Red Bull’s four seats, across Red Bull and Racing Bulls, remain unconfirmed amid intense speculation as to who will fill each vacancy.
Red Bull poised to announce 2026 F1 driver lineups
Max Verstappen remains under contract, though the identity of who will partner him in F1 2026 has not been formally announced.
In speaking with PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in the wake of the Qatar Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies outlined the timeline for the F1 2026 announcement.
“All I can tell you is that we will, in fact, stick to our plan, and we will announce on Tuesday,” he said.
“We are confident it will not disturb the focus in Abu Dhabi.”
It is widely expected that Hadjar will be given the nod, the Frenchman letting slip over the Qatar Grand Prix that he knew his future.
While unwilling to reveal further detail, his broad smile and demeanour strongly suggest a promotion is on the cards after an impressive rookie campaign.
Such a move creates a vacancy at Racing Bulls while also displacing Tsunoda, who has been with Red Bull Racing since Round 2 of the 2025 F1 season.
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Promoted in place of Lawson, who struggled in Australia and China before being dropped to Racing Bulls, Tsunoda has also failed to shine.
There have been improved results of late, including a fourth in the Qatar Sprint, but it’s generally regarded as being too little, too late.
However, he remains a consideration for a return to Racing Bulls.
The makeup of the second Red Bull team is far less clear, with Tsunoda, Lawson, and F2 racer Arvid Linblad all contenders for the two seats.
One will miss out, with the trio of drivers understood to have met with Red Bull’s driver tsar Helmut Marko over the Qatar weekend to learn their fate.
That proved a closely guarded secret, with no clarity between whether it will be Lawson or Tsunoda who will be retained.
It’s a state of affairs reminiscent of a year ago, when the duo were in contention for the drive alongside Verstappen.
In that instance, Lawson got the initial nod before being bumped by Tsunoda early into the current campaign.
A year on, they’re now rivals for a drive with Racing Bulls, with 18-year-old Lindblad seemingly a certainty in the other car.
The outcome of Tuesday’s announcement likely marks the end – at least for now – of one driver’s F1 career.
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