Year’s grace for Tsunoda? Red Bull urged not to ‘kill’ Hadjar alongside Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda didn’t “come out well” at the Singapore Grand Prix, but talk of that being the final nail in his Red Bull coffin worries Christijan Albers as he doesn’t believe Isack Hadjar is ready to be promoted.

Instead, he’d rather the Racing Bulls rookie spend two, if not three, years at the second team before having to take on the challenge that is Max Verstappen. Or he risks being “killed”.

Red Bull told: You’ve actually already killed three or four drivers

Red Bull has four seats available on the F1 2026 grid, two at Red Bull Racing and two at Racing Bulls, but only one of those is confirmed – Max Verstappen will continue to spearhead Red Bull’s F1 charge.

As for his teammate, while it is being reported that Hadjar could be promoted after a stellar debut campaign with Racing Bulls, Yuki Tsunoda is not out of the running nor, at least not officially confirmed, is Liam Lawson.

Hadjar is the favourite, although Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, speaking to Kleine Zeitung, stopped short of guaranteeing him a Red Bull race seat.

“The only thing that is certain is that Verstappen and Hadjar have a contract,” he said. “But where and in which position is still open.”

And, he added, “We all still have hope with Yuki. For him, the goal for the rest of the year must be to finish in the points as often as possible and consistently.

“Then we’ll see how it goes next year.”

The brutal world of Formula 1:

👉 All the mid-season driver swaps Red Bull have made in their F1 history

👉 Revealed: The shortest F1 careers this century in the brutal world of Formula 1

It went well for Tsunoda in Azerbaijan, where he recorded his biggest points haul for Red Bull with eight points from a P6 finish, but in Singapore he was not only outside of the points in 12th place, but he was lapped by Verstappen, who finished runner-up.

“I thought Yuki Tsunoda didn’t come out well,” Albers told De Telegraaf podcast.

“I think it’s a shame. I understand that there are comments from the engineers and it is not all going the way they want, but I don’t think Tsunoda is underperforming.

“I’m going back to Racing Bulls for a moment. He was competitive alongside Liam Lawson and competitive alongside Isack Hadjar.

“You’ve actually already killed three or four drivers in such a top team where Max Verstappen is. Sergio Perez has been given much longer to acclimatise. It’s all going a bit too fast for me with Hadjar.

“I understand that they want to give Hadjar a chance, I think that’s very nice, but Red Bull’s approach has to be different. You have to give someone time. It’s all going too fast.

“Someone who comes next to Max Verstappen first needs two or three years. You get a mental blow first.”

18 races into the F1 2025 season, Verstappen has 273 points and Tsunoda just 20, three of those points scored during his first two races with Racing Bulls.

Hadjar in turn has 39 points with Racing Bulls, 15 of which he scored with his third-placed finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Albers acknowledges he is doing an impressive job, but the Red Bull and Verstappen challenge is a different beast.

The only rookie outside of the big four teams to feature on the podium this season, Hadjar is on 39 points, only 49 behind rookie of the season – and Mercedes driver – Kimi Antonelli.

“Hadjar is doing fantastic,” Albers added. “I understand that, but they really have mismanagement in that area. It’s still a mess with those driver changes.”

Instead, the former Minardi driver believes Tsunoda should be given a year’s grace.

“At Red Bull, I really think there has been mismanagement with all those driver changes. I think that’s a shame, because I don’t think Tsunoda is that slow. This has to do with several factors. He has to get used to the team and the car has to suit you.

“If you look at Max, it’s unprecedented how he can drive a car. It also drives in a different way. You have to find a driver next to him who has the same driving style. You have to look at that, but apparently they don’t know where to find that driver.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

Read next: F1 fans firmly split on Norris-Piastri contact as McLaren title race hots up