Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has revealed when it will formally announce its and Racing Bulls’ driver line-ups for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The Milton Keynes-based squad has been at the centre of speculation for many months as to which drivers it will hire to tackle the new era of the sport next year.
With Max Verstappen confirming his commitment to the team late in the summer, its second seat has been the focus of wonderment.
The leading candidate has been its satellite outfit’s rookie star Isack Hadjar, who has shone in his debut season, with Yuki Tsunoda having struggled to match the Dutchman since taking the seat from Hadjar’s current team-mate Liam Lawson in April.
In turn, Racing Bulls has also found itself thrust into the rumour mill, with many permutations of its roster possible, one commonly reported being that a seat will be handed to its junior product and current Formula 2 driver Arvid Lindblad.
Initially, the organisation’s decision was to be made after the Mexico City Grand Prix in October, but senior advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that it would be pushed back to the end of the season.
And speaking after Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix, in which Verstappen took a stellar victory, Mekies was able to let be it known when the announcement will finally be made.
“All I can tell you is that we will in fact stick to our plan and we will announce on Tuesday what the driver line-up is,” the Frenchman told media including Motorsport Week. “We are confident it will not disturb the focus in Abu Dhabi.”
Red Bull hopeful to have Tsunoda at ‘100 percent’ with RB return also still possible
Tsunoda’s future with the Red Bull family is uncertain. Depending on who speaks in the paddock, he is either potentially staying where he is, or will be exiting the set-up altogether.
But now more rumours have suggested the Japanese driver will be returning to his former stable in Faenza, with Lawson possibly the one to be left out in the cold.
Whatever the reality, Mekies acknowledged that Tsunoda’s performance in Abu Dhabi could be critical, given he may be required to support Verstappen in his bid to claim a fifth straight Drivers’ title, having won in Doha to cut Lando Norris’ lead to 12 points and force a showdown at the Yas Marina Circuit.
“It could be down to the last point. It could be mega important,” Mekies said. “You have seen today Lando fall back into the pack behind Andrea Kimi [Antonelli] and Carlos [Sainz], but he was very close to falling back behind Fernando [Alonso] and the other guys where Yuki potentially was.
“It will be super important to have Yuki at 100 percent. He has done a strong weekend with us. Strong on Friday, strong in the sprint, P5.
“Yes, he got kicked out of Q1, but that was only three-tenths off Max. 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.”
READ MORE – Max Verstappen takes F1 title to the wire as Red Bull outsmarts McLaren in Qatar GP
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