Red Bull Racing chiefs have a pivotal decision to make on their 2026 driver line-ups very soon.
The Formula 1 driver market hasn’t kicked into action this year, and with just six seats left to fill ahead of next season, it doesn’t appear as though anything too dramatic is going to happen in the coming weeks and months.
However, three of the six seats left to be confirmed are at Red Bull and Racing Bulls.
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
Max Verstappen is locked in for next season and theoretically should be a Red Bull driver until the end of 2028, unless he activates a get-out clause in his contract.
However, Red Bull’s trio of other drivers are still in the lurch, although Isack Hadjar’s recent performances suggest that it’s a matter of who he’ll be driving for next season, as opposed to whether he’ll still be a Formula 1 driver.
Hadjar is expected to race for Red Bull in 2026, putting Yuki Tsunoda in an awkward position.
However, Tsunoda could end up returning to Racing Bulls, leaving Liam Lawson wondering where that leaves him if Arvid Lindblad is promoted from Formula 2 at the end of the season.
READ MORE: All to know about Racing Bulls from team principal to Red Bull affiliation
Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty ImagesLiam Lawson ‘no longer highly rated’ by Red Bull chiefs as ‘conduct’ question emerges
A report from Autosport Web has provided more details on the future of Red Bull’s driver line-ups.
F1 Oversteer understands Red Bull are working hard to place Lindblad in Formula 1 next year, despite the British teenager looking unlikely to win the Formula 2 championship.
He acquired enough superlicense points at the beginning of the year by winning the Formula Regional Oceania Championship and has already completed an FP1 session.
If Lindblad joins Racing Bulls, and Hadjar is promoted to Red Bull, then the final seat would be a straight shootout between Lawson and Tsunoda.
The report from Autosport Web suggests that Tsunoda might now have ‘the advantage’ over Lawson to be retained for 2026.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 324 2 293 3 230 4 194 5 163 6 117 7 70 8 66 9 38 10 37 11 32 12 30 13 28 14 20 15 20 16 18 17 16 18 16 19 12 20 0
Red Bull sources have told the publication that ‘Lawson is no longer highly rated by higher-ups’ within the team.
The New Zealander was dropped by Red Bull after just two races at the beginning of 2025, and while Laurent Mekies has spoken positively about Lawson since replacing Christian Horner, he’s unlikely to have the sway to keep the 23-year-old in his Racing Bulls seat for another year.
On top of this, Lawson’s ‘conduct during races has also come under scrutiny’, with his collision with Tsunoda at the Italian Grand Prix working against him.
READ MORE: Who is Racing Bulls F1 driver Liam Lawson? Everything you need to know
Liam Lawson addresses his future as 2026 Formula 1 contract decision looms
Lawson currently sits 15th in the drivers’ championship after 16 races, and is about to return to the scene of one of his greatest F1 performances.
Formula 1 heads to Singapore after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where Lawson outqualified Verstappen during his 2023 RB cameo and scored points for the team for the first time.
However, instead of being a driver who had plenty of potential but no platform to showcase it, Lawson finds himself in a situation where Red Bull believe they’ve fully assessed his potential.
CategoryIsack HadjarLiam Lawson2025 points3820Grand Prix results104Grand Prix qualifying113Grand Prix wins00Grand Prix poles00Grand Prix podiums10Best finish3rd6thRetirements13Retirements (classified finish)00Fastest laps00Grand Prix points finishes74Sprint results11Sprint Qualifying20Sprint wins00Sprint poles00Sprint podiums00The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson
Lawson was asked about his future at the Italian Grand Prix, and he explained: “Honestly, I don’t really think about it. For me, it’s more about making the most of every weekend.
“We still have nine races ahead of us this year, and a lot can happen in these nine races.
“For me, therefore, it’s honestly about securing a place in Formula 1. It was a very hectic year overall, so I’m now focusing more on securing a place and driving a good, strong second half of the season.”
If Lawson could replicate Hadjar’s remarkable podium at Zandvoort, then suddenly he would force Red Bull’s chiefs to reassess him, but until then, he appears to be in a straight fight with Tsunoda.