Lindblad handed Abu Dhabi FP1 as Red Bull benches Tsunoda on Friday amid 2026 shuffle
Yuki Tsunoda will watch the first hour of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from the Red Bull garage, with junior hotshot Arvid Lindblad stepping into the RB21 for FP1 as the team wraps up its rookie quota for the season.
The call comes days after Red Bull confirmed Tsunoda won’t be retained for 2026, with Isack Hadjar set to partner Max Verstappen next year. Lindblad, meanwhile, is being elevated from F2 to Racing Bulls to form an all-junior pairing with Liam Lawson, leaving Tsunoda to shift into a test and reserve role.
Friday’s switch is a straightforward bit of housekeeping for Red Bull under F1’s regulations: each team must field a rookie — defined as a driver with no more than two grand prix starts — in at least two FP1 sessions per car across the season. Verstappen already sat out opening practice in Bahrain and Mexico; Tsunoda’s only previous absence was at Silverstone.
If you’re getting déjà vu, that’s because Lindblad has been here before. He impressed on debut at the British Grand Prix in July after receiving a rare superlicence exemption before turning 18, then returned in Mexico and, notably, clocked a session time a tenth quicker than Tsunoda’s. For a teenager still juggling F2 commitments at the time, it was the kind of cameo that gets filed under “remember this.”
Red Bull made the Abu Dhabi move public with a typically brisk note on social media: confirmation that Lindblad will drive Tsunoda’s car in first practice at Yas Marina. Box ticked, message sent.
The bigger story is what comes next for Tsunoda. The 25-year-old has been part of the Red Bull pipeline since day one and, after getting his shot alongside Verstappen this year, now finds himself on the outside for 2026 as the team doubles down on youth. He’s vowed to make the most of the reserve gig and force his way back onto the grid.
“I’m not finished yet,” he said in a post following the news. Calling the decision “incredibly tough,” Tsunoda added he’ll work “harder than ever with Red Bull as test and reserve driver to develop with the team and prove I deserve a place on the grid. Life’s full of setbacks and this is mine. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be.”
It’s harsh timing, but very Red Bull: the factory team locks in Hadjar next to Verstappen, Racing Bulls goes all-in on Lawson and Lindblad, and the ladder keeps moving. Lindblad’s FP1 in Abu Dhabi is both an obligation and a final live-fire rep before he graduates to full-time duty in 2026.
For Friday, the job is simple. Lindblad needs clean laps, solid feedback and no drama on a low-grip circuit that punishes over-exuberance in the dusk. Tsunoda will hand over the seat, sit with the engineers, and then take the wheel back for FP2 as the team tunes the RB21 for qualifying and the season finale.
The subtext? Red Bull’s production line is humming, and the next generation is arriving on schedule. For Tsunoda, the path back is narrower but not closed — reserve drivers still test, still drive, still influence the car. And the sport has a habit of making room for the prepared when it least looks likely.
Abu Dhabi’s FP1 often feels like a formality. This one has a little more edge. It’s an audition for a teenager with momentum, a reminder of the ruthlessness of a top team’s pipeline, and a pivot point for a driver who’s not ready to let go.
