Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has guaranteed Isack Hadjar a deal for the 2026 Formula 1 season, but is yet to decide which team it will be for.
The French rookie has astounded F1 in his debut campaign, scoring 39 points so far and sitting ninth in the Drivers’ Championship after a string of superb performances.
Natrually, with Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda having struggled alongside Max Verstappen, Hadjar has been floated for the second Red Bull seat in 2026.
Verstappen has committed himself to the Milton Keynes-based squad for next year, having allegedly held talks with Mercedes, which leaves one seat up for grabs.
Marko, speaking to Kleine Zeitung, confirmed Verstappen’s place in the team, and Hadjar’s contract, but intimated his exact whereabouts is yet to be decided.
“The only thing that is certain is that Verstappen and Hadjar have a contract,” he said. “But where and in which position is still open.”
Marko holds hope for Tsunoda as Hadjar lurks in the Red Bull shadows
Recent speculation has suggested that there is also just one spot left in the Racing Bulls ranks, with junior driver and F2 star Arvid Lindblad reportedly set to take one of them.
This promotes the possibility of a merry-go-round where any one of Hadjar, Lawson and Tsunoda vying for a seat as team-mate to either Verstappen or the teenager.
Tsunoda conjured his best result and performance of the year at just the right time at last week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, finishing sixth in a tough battle with Lawson, who came fifth.
Marko has previously stated that Tsunoda had until the end of the year to prove his worth, with a more recent statement alluding to November as to being when a decision will be made.
But the Austrian indicated that the Japanese driver needs to produce another performance like he did in Baku to get the nod over Hadjar.
“We all still have hope with Yuki,” he said. “For him, the goal for the rest of the year must be to finish in the points as often as possible and consistently.
“Then we’ll see how it goes next year.”
Much of Tsunoda’s future results may hinge on whether the RB21, which has been inconsistent and tricky to handle this year, continues to improve.
“The mood is very good [in the team], but we have to wait for Azerbaijan to see if the upswing is specific to the Monza circuit,” Marko said explained. “But the feeling is positive.”
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