Max Verstappen has confirmed that he is staying for 2026, yet Red Bull are still set to be a major player in the driver market as they set their line-up and also Racing Bulls’.
Formula 1 commentator Alex Jacques has exclusively told F1 Oversteer that he believes Red Bull still have their options open for the 2026 F1 season. New team principal Laurent Mekies replacing Christian Horner in charge in July has put all of the cards on the table for next year.
The Milton Keynes team were at serious risk of seeing their star slip through their fingers, as Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff held talks with Verstappen. But Red Bull breathed a sigh of relief when it became impossible for the four-time champion to leave at the end of 2025.
Verstappen needed to hit the summer break fourth or lower in the F1 drivers’ championship for the release clause in his contract with Red Bull to become available. But the Dutchman is third, with a 15-point margin over Mercedes rival George Russell, which annulled the clause.
Still, Red Bull hold the keys to three of the eight available seats on the 2026 F1 grid. Red Bull are still to decide if Yuki Tsunoda will stay for another term, and also have decisions to make over the Racing Bulls line-up. Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson are not confirmed for 2026 yet.
Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty ImagesAlex Jacques thinks Red Bull could target an experienced F1 driver like Nico Hulkenberg
It is widely expected that Red Bull will release Tsunoda at the end of 2025, with the 25-year-old out of contract after this season. Tsunoda is also yet to convincingly prove himself at Red Bull since the Japanese star replaced Lawson in March, with the Kiwi axed after two rounds.
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TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN/AN/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has confirmed Red Bull will decide Tsunoda’s future after the summer, having seen the Kanagawa native now go seven rounds without a single point. Tsunoda has not scored in as many Grands Prix as the number of points he has for Red Bull.
F1 commentator Jacques believes Tsunoda, Hadjar and Lawson all stand a chance of driving for Red Bull in 2026 given the lack of an experienced alternative who can help them rebuild. If he were available, Jacques would not question Red Bull eying Nico Hulkenberg of Sauber.
Jacques told F1 Oversteer: “It’s a big question, isn’t it? Because you can make a case for all three of them. There’s no one out there with that experience that you could have signed.
“I think if Hulkenberg was out of contract, for example, at the end of the year, I think there’s a fair chance that they might look for experience, as they tried to rebuild back to the front in the same way that they did with Sergio Perez a couple of years ago.
“But, equally, let’s see where we are with a couple of races with Yuki Tsunoda. He’s had two races with a team principal who’s trying to get the best out of him.
“I don’t ever think that previous management rated Tsunoda. I mean, the fact that they bypassed him to put Lawson in the car at the start of the year said as much.
“That robbed him of a pre-season. He made his debut for Red Bull at his home race under all the media scrutiny. Inevitably, in that second car, there’s going to be a loss of confidence.”
‘No reason’ Yuki Tsunoda cannot convince Red Bull to re-sign him for the 2026 F1 season
Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Red Bull spoke to Hulkenberg before signing Perez for 2021, with the Mexican then enjoying three terms in Milton Keynes. Horner ultimately let Perez go at the close of the 2024 season and promoted Lawson, but quickly canned the Kiwi for Tsunoda after two point-less rounds.
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CategoryYuki TsunodaMax Verstappen2025 points10182Grand Prix results111Grand Prix qualifying012Grand Prix wins02Grand Prix poles04Grand Prix podiums05Best finish9th1stRetirements11Retirements (classified finish)00Fastest laps01Grand Prix points finishes311Sprint results02Sprint qualifying02Sprint wins01Sprint poles00Sprint podiums01The 2025 F1 teammate head-to-head battle of Yuki Tsunoda and Max Verstappen
Now, Tsunoda’s struggles to extract the RB21’s performance could cost him his place at Red Bull. Marko is pushing Red Bull to promote Hadjar for 2026, having been blown away by the 20-year-old’s rookie results for Racing Bulls. The Frenchman has 22 points so far this term.
Only Verstappen with 187 has secured more points this year among the Red Bull family than Hadjar, with Lawson boasting 20 and Tsunoda only 10 (three of which he scored with Racing Bulls). But Jacques would not rule out Red Bull retaining Tsunoda if he can improve his form.
Jacques added: “If Yuki can get back to the confidence, then I think there’s no reason that they can’t re-sign him. But he needs to hit the ground running when he gets to Zandvoort, and he needs to be regularly scoring points, and then build that into major points.
“Otherwise, I believe they’re going to look for overall the driver who, between Lawson, Tsunoda and Hadjar, who’s looked the fastest. I think Hadjar has looked like he’s had the highest core speed behind the wheel this year.
“And Laurent Mekies, who’s at that team, has worked with all three of those drivers, and it’d be interesting to see if he chooses to make a change or whether he chooses to go to Hadjar, who’s the only one who’s not had experience of that second Red Bull seat.”