Red Bull sets Mexico deadline as Tsunoda, Lawson and Hadjar scrap for 2026 seat
Red Bull’s driver market is finally heading for the chequered flag. Helmut Marko says the team will make its 2026 call after the Mexican Grand Prix, handing Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar two more weekends to prove they belong alongside Max Verstappen when the new rules land.
It’s a familiar Red Bull script, just far earlier than last year’s December reveal. Back then, a late shuffle saw Sergio Perez’s exit confirmed, Lawson briefly promoted, and Tsunoda drafted in after just two races. That’s the nature of the beast: ruthless, reactive, and entirely focused on performance. Even now, with Verstappen the only lock for 2026 across Red Bull’s two teams, everything else remains fluid.
The prize, of course, is the second seat next to Verstappen. History says it’s a tough gig—five drivers have tried to live with him since Daniel Ricciardo left in 2018—but it’s still the most coveted spot outside the No.1 car. Race wins, podiums, a shot at titles, and a weekly benchmark in arguably the best driver on the grid. You don’t turn that down. You try to take it.
Marko’s line is simple: we decide after Mexico. Between now and then, the audition continues.
Hadjar has seized the narrative more than most. He delivered a headline podium at Zandvoort and, crucially, hasn’t looked overawed by the moment. Marko has taken notice. “Isack has established himself and is currently enjoying his situation,” he told Kleine Zeitung. “He’s achieved incredible things.” That’s not nothing. When Red Bull’s motorsport advisor starts handing out gold stars, it tends to mean something.
Tsunoda, meanwhile, hasn’t found the season he needed on paper. The Japanese driver has talked up an improvement in race pace since recent updates—“the upgrades have responded more to him,” Marko concedes—but qualifying form has slipped, and the scoreboard is the scoreboard. He knows it. “I think I’ve shown a good amount of progress,” Tsunoda said this week. “Long-run pace is positive. Now it’s about putting it all together—especially the short run.”
Lawson’s case is built on consistency and calm. He’s been tidy, quick when the car allows, and rarely messy. Crucially, he understands how this game is judged. “It’s as important as any other weekend, honestly,” he said of the next two rounds. “The sport moves very fast. People in F1 have short memories. It’s about keeping consistency across the board.”
Hadjar’s take is even more stripped back. Deadline or not, the job doesn’t change. “Honestly, it doesn’t change my approach at all,” he said. “When you’re in the car, you don’t think about anything else but doing the best you can.”
The complication here is that Red Bull has four seats to play with across its two teams and only one is nailed down for 2026. The main team’s vacancy is the headline, but the second team—Racing Bulls—remains a moving target as well. There are no automatic lifeboats. Tsunoda and Lawson aren’t guaranteed to slot back there if they miss the cut, and Hadjar’s rise has tightened the squeeze.
What will decide it? The same things that always decide it in this program: raw speed, repeatable execution, and how a driver handles the heat. Austin and Mexico reward very different strengths—mechanical bite and tyre management in the first, altitude efficiency and precision in the second—so it’s a neat two-race exam. Nail Saturdays, don’t fade on Sundays, and show you can drag a car up the order when the picture’s messy. If you want to be Verstappen’s teammate in 2026, you need to look like you can win the days he doesn’t.
There’s also a strategic layer. Red Bull’s 2026 project is a big swing. That second seat isn’t just about points; it’s about development feedback, direction, and how a driver meshes with a car that’ll feel vastly different. That’s where Hadjar’s fresh momentum, Lawson’s method, and Tsunoda’s growing maturity pull in three different directions. You can make a case for any of them. You can also imagine the debates happening on a certain Milton Keynes mezzanine right now.
For now, the brief is brutally clear. Two races. One signature. Three drivers who know Red Bull won’t wait forever.
Marko’s promised a call after Mexico. With this team, that’s a deadline worth circling in pen.
