Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has confirmed that the team is “not in any hurry” to decide who will be Max Verstappen’s team-mate for next year’s Formula 1 season.
The Milton Keynes-based squad has once again struggled on the front of its second seat, with Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda failing to make any significant mark.
Tsunoda has been in the seat alongside Verstappen since the Japanese Grand Prix, when he replaced Lawson, who was unceremoniously sent back to Racing Bulls after just two races.
The Japanese driver has been publicly promised the drive until the end of the season, so therefore has just 10 races to prove himself worthy of continuing next year.
Naturally, speculation has arisen as to what Red Bull may be considering, with rumours pointing towards Isack Hadjar as a probable option.
But with the team juggling the transition to all-new regulations next year alongside new engine partner Ford, it seems choosing a new driver is not at the forefront of Mekies’ mind.
“The reality for us is that we’re not in any hurry,” Mekies told Canal+ ahead of this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix.
“We’re lucky to have Yuki in the car; we have Racing Bulls, which is working very well, and where we can also evaluate our young drivers.
“Yuki took a real step forward at Spa and also in Budapest in terms of his deficit to with Max. It wasn’t very noticeable because in Budapest we weren’t competitive overall.
“So we’ll see. Liam is making a lot of progress at Racing Bulls, Isack [Hadjar] has been doing an extraordinary job since the start of the season and keeps surprising us at every race.
“If you look at it from Red Bull’s point of view, it’s hard to see why we would be in a hurry to make this decision.”
Red Bull will take time to ‘make the best possible decision’
Red Bull will have to be careful about its decision-making, given that there have been two drivers in just one season after the firing of Sergio Perez, who spent four seasons with the team.
Mekies is all too aware that speculation will lead to a sense of “impatience” around what the eventual decision will be, but believes the remaining 10 races will ensure a smooth process as to who it will choose.
“We understand the questions and the impatience surrounding this,” he added.
“But for us, it’s first and foremost about trying to put our drivers in the best possible position for the remainder of the season and seeing where we are in a few months’ time.
“There are still 10 races to go. Then we’ll make the best possible decision with everyone involved.”
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