Follow us on Google Discover The Singapore Grand Prix was a physically brutal race, as the winner, Mercedes driver George Russell, revealed that he lost nearly four kilograms on his way to victory.
However, while the action on track left all 20 drivers fatigued, even if there wasn’t too much for fans to get excited about, the Singapore Grand Prix might have had far greater implications for the driver market.
Half a dozen drivers are still waiting to discover their fate ahead of the start of the 2026 Formula 1 season.
George Russell shared an update on his Mercedes future after winning in Singapore, and his current teammate, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is almost certain to join him for at least one more year.
That leaves four seats left to fill, and Franco Colapinto might be feeling more confident about his future after outclassing Pierre Gasly all weekend.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacValtteri BottasSergio PerezFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Red Bull are almost at the centre of everything in the driver market, and aside from Max Verstappen staying for one more year, nothing else is set in stone.
After covering the race for the BBC Sport, commentator Harry Benjamin and racing driver Sam Bird were far from impressed with Yuki Tsunoda.
Tsunoda was lapped by his teammate in Singapore, and Bird isn’t sure that Red Bull should give him the rest of the season to prove that he’s worthy of a race seat in 2026.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
Photo by Jayce Illman/Getty ImagesSam Bird suggests it’s a matter of ‘when, not if’ Red Bull drop Yuki Tsunoda
Speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast, Benjamin called it a ‘nightmare’ weekend for Tsunoda, and Bird explained: “He got lapped by his teammate and by the frontrunners.
“It’s only a matter of time now before he vacates that seat; it’s just a matter of when, not if.
“Is it going to happen before the end of this season? Would they give someone like Isack Hadjar a chance and go, ‘Look, you’ve got six races now with the big team.’
“There’s no pressure, get settled in, learn about your engineer, learn about the way they work, learn about how to cope with the Max Verstappen car that we will build you in the future because we’re not going to build you a car, we’re going to build Max Verstappen a car, and see if you can hang onto it.”
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Why Red Bull will still design their 2026 Formula 1 car around Max Verstappen
One of the issues that Tsunoda has faced since his in-season swap with Liam Lawson is that Red Bull’s car suits Verstappen’s unique strengths so much that it’s very hard for any other driver to adapt.
Bird explained why this is unlikely to change, no matter who Verstappen’s teammate is next year: “It will be designed around how Max will want to drive it. So, they’ll put it on the ground for the first test, and Max will say he needs this, or we need to go in this direction to extract the most out of the car.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 336 2 314 3 273 4 237 5 173 6 127 7 88 8 70 9 39 10 37 11 34 12 32 13 32 14 30 15 28 16 20 17 20 18 18 19 18 20 0
“If Isack Hadjar is next to him, they’re going to choose Max Verstappen’s way of thinking.
“That’s that racing team’s ethos. We build the team around what Max Verstappen needs, and let’s just hope the guy in the other car can hang onto it, and nobody’s been able to.”
READ MORE: Red Bull no longer see one driver as an option to partner Max Verstappen, ‘the word in the paddock’
Sam Bird believes that Yuki Tsunoda shouldn’t see out the rest of the season with Red Bull
Benjamin suggested that Tsunoda had the second seat until the end of the year, and Bird countered his argument by saying: “But why would you not [immediately make a change]? They threw Lawson out after two races.
“I think we can make arguments to suggest that Tsunoda warrants staying until the end of the year, but honestly, I almost think…”
Benjamin: “So, you’d do a swap? You’d put him back down to Racing Bulls?”
Bird: “Or, I’d put Lindblad in.” Before being asked if Tsunoda was ‘done’ in Formula 1, he continued: “He could get a seat elsewhere. He could do. Tsunoda’s a great driver, but it hasn’t worked at Red Bull.
“It just hasn’t worked at all. I think Hadjar will be good in the Red Bull.”
CategoryYuki TsunodaMax Verstappen2025 points20273Grand Prix results115Grand Prix qualifying016Grand Prix wins04Grand Prix poles06Grand Prix podiums09Best finish6th1stRetirements11Fastest laps02Grand Prix points finishes517Sprint results02Sprint qualifying02Sprint wins01Sprint poles00Sprint podiums01The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen
*Tsunoda scored three of his points for Racing Bulls before replacing Lawson
*Verstappen scored 36 of his points before Tsunoda joined Red Bull
Tsunoda is under so much pressure that the next two races in Austin and Mexico City could determine whether his F1 career is about to come to an end.
If he is dropped by Red Bull, Tsunoda could explore following Honda to Aston Martin, but at best, he would be a reserve driver to begin with.
There’s still a chance that Red Bull demote Tsunoda to Racing Bulls next year at the expense of either Lawson or Arvid Lindblad, but his weekend in Singapore won’t have done him many favours in convincing the team’s key personnel.