Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has revealed a decision on the team’s 2026 driver line-up has been postponed to allow maximum attention on the Formula 1 title race.
Heading into the Mexico City Grand Prix, Marko had repeated that Red Bull was intending to take a call on next season’s drivers once the weekend’s action had ended.
Max Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but it hasn’t been communicated who will be partnering him and who will represent the sister team, Racing Bulls.
Yuki Tsunoda occupies the seat alongside Verstappen, but Isack Hadjar is expected to earn that gig, with Arvid Lindblad then backed to take his place at Racing Bulls.
However, with Verstappen having capitalised on Red Bull’s turnaround since Monza to enter championship contention, the group’s original timeline has been changed.
“We postponed our decision until the end of the season, because first we want to focus on the championship fight,” Marko said via Autosport.
Asked whether that means an announcement might not come until the campaign has concluded in Abu Dhabi, Marko retorted: “No, but it will be around Abu Dhabi.
“We will just focus on the championship first.”
Mekies explains Red Bull thought process
Mekies corroborated Marko’s admission, citing that the deviation in Red Bull’s plans will also provide the team with a wider window to evaluate the drivers in question.
“We want to take a bit more time before we make a decision on the drivers,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“Yuki is making steps forward, and the other kids are making steps forward as well. We have no reason to rush the decision, so we will take a bit more time.”
Mekies has implied that nothing is set in stone as Red Bull’s top brass will incorporate the data collected over the remaining rounds into the decision-making process.
“For the decision, we accept that everyone would like us to decide soon,” the Frenchman acknowledged. “But we are not in a rush.
“We will take all the time we need. And we will give these guys as many chances as they can have to demonstrate on track who are the best drivers.”
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