Follow us on Google Discover Red Bull have already made the decision to delay the announcement of their 2026 Formula 1 driver line-up as they take more time to assess their pool of options.
This season, they have been running an effective one-car operation, with Max Verstappen leading an unlikely drivers’ championship charge in the second half of 2025. Without him, the outlook would be bleak, and they would be in significant trouble.
Recent upgrades have helped to position Red Bull for a heroic title comeback in the final few races of the campaign, but one overarching problem they must solve is the mystery of their second driver. Since Daniel Ricciardo left them in 2018, they have not found a suitable long-term replacement.
Red Bull don’t want to distract from Verstappen’s title charge, which is why they opted to extend their decision date beyond the Mexican Grand Prix. Verstappen knows he must be flawless for the rest of the season, and the removal of any distraction is probably a good idea for now.
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Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesMax Verstappen is ‘certain’ his next Red Bull F1 teammate must be ‘closer’ to him
Oscar Piastri seems intimidated by Verstappen, and it will be intriguing to see how they approach racing each other on track over the next few weeks. They have already shown in prior battles that backing out is not part of their ideology. It would be handy to have a rear-gunner in those situations.
Red Bull’s hottest candidate is Arvid Lindblad, but at the age of 18 and with no tangible Formula 1 experience, he isn’t ready to be thrown into the cauldron of racing in such a pressurised environment. It would be too much for him to be expected to match and beat such a formidable opponent.
But that may not be what Verstappen wants, anyway. According to Dutch commentator Nelson Valkenburg, the reigning champion is simply ‘certain’ that he wants his next teammate to be ‘closer’ to him than Yuki Tsunoda has been, in order to gain a strategic advantage.
“It is interesting to see that Max, who usually just focuses on himself anyway, because that’s the way he operates at this highest level, but he needs some back-up,” he said on The Race F1 Podcast.
“So, I know, for certain, he would like a driver that is closer, but that wouldn’t beat him – so, closer that there is at least the option of a strategic call. He might need that in the final four races. That’s not yet where Tsunoda is.”
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Who are the main candidates for a Red Bull F1 seat in 2026?
Red Bull have three main options when it comes to picking a driver to be next to Verstappen in 2026, and the big question is which one will bring the most performance to the team?
Tsunoda is a known quantity, and although he has struggled this season, recent improvements have given him a small chance of retaining his seat.
Isack Hadjar has been the favourite to take the role over the last few months, but he’s just a rookie. Still, he has outshone teammate and third-choice candidate Liam Lawson, who had a chance in their car earlier this year but failed to take advantage of it.
TalkingPoints
Who should Red Bull pick to be Max Verstappen’s teammate in 2026?
Although winning the 2025 title wouldn’t be Verstappen’s biggest achievement (in his own words), it would have been made even more remarkable by doing it without much assistance from the other car.
For 2026, it’s clear that he hopes he will have someone alongside him who can help him in certain situations, and the new car regulations might help that become a reality.