Marko praised Lindblad\u2019s composure under pressure.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/marco-watches-lap-times.jpg\")
Studying Lap Times \u2013 Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant of Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 24, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Peter Fox\/Getty Images) \/\/ Getty Images \/ Red Bull Content Pool \/\/<\/p>\n
\u201cHe stayed cool, even though everyone told him he couldn\u2019t damage the car \u2013 we only had one underbody,\u201d he said. \u201cSo he wasn\u2019t allowed to scratch it, and he was still the fastest rookie.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lindblad is now almost guaranteed a full-time Racing Bulls seat from 2026, replacing Isack Hadjar, who is expected to graduate to Red Bull Racing. That leaves Tsunoda and Liam Lawson vying for a single remaining seat.<\/p>\n
![\"Arvid](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/lindblad1.jpg\")
Arvid Lindblad of Great Britain and Oracle Red Bull Racing has a seat fit in the garage during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 23, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Mark Thompson\/Getty Images) \/\/ Getty Images \/ Red Bull Content Pool \/\/<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will assess everything after the Grand Prix and then announce everything,\u201d Marko confirmed on Saturday in Mexico.<\/p>\n
Tsunoda\u2019s recent inconsistency, despite an upward trend \u2013 appears to be hurting his case. \u201cTsunoda dropped out of contention in the second session, finishing 11th,\u201d Marko said after qualifying. \u201cHe\u2019s gradually improving \u2013 his results continue to trend upward \u2013 but he\u2019s always further behind in qualifying than in races.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe needs to learn to control that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Former team driver Sergio Perez, attending his home race ahead of his 2026 comeback with Cadillac, says he\u2019s not surprised by how difficult Tsunoda and Lawson found life inside the main Red Bull team.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs soon as the separation from Red Bull was finalized, I knew that the poor guy who came to Red Bull Racing would be helpless \u2013 because I had barely managed to survive in a very difficult environment,\u201d Perez told reporters in Mexico.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/marko-and-verstappen.jpg\")
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant of Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in the garage prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on October 25, 2025 in Mexico City, Mexico. (Photo by Hector Vivas\/Getty Images) \/\/ Getty Images \/ Red Bull Content Pool \/\/<\/p>\n
The Mexican explained that being Verstappen\u2019s teammate is a uniquely punishing task. \u201cIt\u2019s very difficult to drive alongside Max. Most people don\u2019t understand that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI could talk so much about it, but let\u2019s just leave it at this \u2013 there\u2019s no driver who could compete with Max. Whether you put Hamilton or Leclerc in the car, they\u2019d all be screwed.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/sergio-perez.jpg\")
Sergio Perez talks to media at Mexico City GP<\/p>\n
Perez said the challenge stems largely from Verstappen\u2019s extreme setup preferences. Like Michael Schumacher at Ferrari, Verstappen thrives on a car that gives maximum front-end feel \u2013 even if it makes the rear nervous.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to adapt to Max\u2019s driving style,\u201d Perez explained. \u201cIt\u2019s not that the car handles badly, but the balance is very special. And if you don\u2019t drive it like he does, you\u2019re completely lost.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many things that outsiders don\u2019t realize. It\u2019s not just about driving fast; it\u2019s also about dealing with the pressure and expectations. It\u2019s really tough. And that\u2019s why I say, no driver can just show up at Red Bull and expect everything to run like clockwork.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(GMM) Dr Helmut Marko (pictured in Mexico City) says Red Bull will confirm its 2026 driver plans \u201cafter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":241261,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[441],"tags":[49,48,578,576,577,82],"class_list":["post-241260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241260","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=241260"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/241260\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/241261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=241260"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=241260"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=241260"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}