Red Bull has made its decision on its 2026 Formula 1 driver line-ups and will announce it on Tuesday.
Team principal Laurent Mekies did not want to comment on the nature of its plans - but Yuki Tsunoda is set to be replaced by Isack Hadjar in Red Bull Racing, as has been expected for several races.
“All I can tell you is that we will, in fact, stick to our plan, and we will announce on Tuesday what's the driver line-up,” Mekies said when asked by The Race about its driver decision.
“We are confident it will not disturb the focus in Abu Dhabi. Don't ask me to anticipate [reveal] what will be announced on Tuesday, please!”
While Max Verstappen goes into next weekend’s Abu Dhabi finale 12 points from the championship lead, Tsunoda has struggled to make an impact in the second car since taking the seat from Liam Lawson at round three of the season.
He is 15th in the standings on 33 points, 366 fewer than Verstappen. And though there have been flashes of strong pace, Tsunoda has failed to consistently string together competitive weekends.
Tsunoda said in Qatar he felt has “proved a lot of things” after being given an almost identical car to Verstappen on specification for the last few races.
His biggest strength has been lapping within two or three tenths of Verstappen at his best, and he outqualified Verstappen in a session for the first time in the Qatar sprint this weekend.
Tsunoda was then eliminated in Q1 in qualifying for the main grand prix, despite again being within three tenths of Verstappen.
“I think I'm showing what I can do,” he said.
“And I don't think within my seat [the second Red Bull seat]...I remember the last few years, I didn't see many drivers able to achieve this step in the middle of the season, and went through very, very difficult moments with the beginning of the season.
“It’s just a matter of now trying to help Max the next race. The pace is there, I don't think that there is much more we can do with this second seat.”
It is unclear if Tsunoda will remain on the grid by returning to the sister Racing Bulls team, though.
Red Bull has been weighing up which two to choose from Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Formula 2 race winner Arvid Lindblad.
Lawson has rebuilt his reputation well after being dropped by Red Bull Racing for Tsunoda after just two races as Verstappen’s team-mate at the start of 2025.
He said after the Qatar Grand Prix there has “unfortunately not” been news from Red Bull on 2026 - but Lawson’s revival seems to have convinced Red Bull bosses he is worth being retained.
The uncertainty still lies on whether Tsunoda is kept on, or Lindblad is given his F1 debut instead.
Tsunoda could therefore be a Racing Bulls driver in 2026, a reserve for both teams, or be released entirely.
Mekies said it would be “mega important” for Tsunoda to be competitive in Abu Dhabi and try to aid Verstappen’s title bid.
“It could be down to the last point, so it could be mega important,” he said.
“It will be super important to have Yuki at 100%. He has done a strong weekend this weekend with us. Strong on Friday, strong in the sprint – P5, I think it is his best result with us this season.
“And yes, he got kicked out of Q1 but that was only three tenths off Max. And there are a lot of guys that would be happy to be three tenths off Max in qualifying.
“So he has done a strong weekend. We need another strong weekend in Abu Dhabi because everything will be needed.”
