Yuki Tsunoda given Red Bull lifeline with driver decision delayed
Yuki Tsunoda is battling for his Red Bull future with his contract set to expire this year.
Laurent Mekies has confirmed Red Bull will not stick to its original deadline of deciding its 2026 lineup, suggesting Yuki Tsunoda still has time to retain his seat.
It had been suggested that Red Bull was planning to make a final call about its lineup after this weekend’s race in Mexico, but Mekies has insisted there is “no need to rush.”
Yuki Tsunoda given time on Red Bull decision
Only Max Verstappen has his place confirmed next year with the likes of Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad all hopeful of earning one of the three remaining seats Red Bull controls.
Senior advisor Helmut Marko had previously said a decision on the team in 2026 would be made after the conclusion of this weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix but team principal Mekies suggested they will not stick to such a hard deadline.
“We want to give Yuki and all our other drivers as much time as we can,” Mekies told Sky Sports. “And I know we’ve said in the past, we may want to decide after Mexico, but really, there is no need for us to rush anything.
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“He’s done a very good race in Austin. He did an excellent session this morning [FP1]. We will take our time, and when we feel we are ready, we’ll do it. No need to rush.”
FP1 saw Lindblad in the Red Bull car in place of Verstappen. The F1 hopeful managed to clock a quicker time than Tsunoda with Marko suggesting that it gave “some answers” but no decision had yet been made on the potential make-up of next year’s team.
“We got some answers, but I can’t tell you what the driver lineup will be,” he said. “We will wait a little bit, and then we decide.
“Let’s see after [the weekend] and then we will make some at least comments.”
Tsunoda enjoyed arguably his best weekend in a Red Bull last time out in Austin and said he needs to “keep doing that” in the final five events of the year.
“My pace was really, really good,” Tsunoda said after the race in the United States.
“I was able to make up a few positions in the first few laps, and my overall pace wasn’t bad. I could have done a little better in the second stint – I think I managed it a little too much – but it was positive to get points in both races this weekend. We need to keep doing that.”
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