Aug.31 (GMM) Red Bull’s question mark over Max Verstappen’s 2026 teammate shows no sign of fading.
The latest wild rumour – that Indycar dominator Alex Palou is being lined up – has again been flatly denied. “We’ve never spoken to him,” Dr Helmut Marko told Sky Deutschland at Zandvoort.
“We have our drivers, and he’s not on our radar.”
But Marko’s timing could not have been more striking. On the same day, Isack Hadjar stunned the paddock with P4 on the Zandvoort grid in his Racing Bulls – just behind Verstappen, while Yuki Tsunoda languished P12.
“Isack never ceases to amaze us,” Marko smiled.
“He had problems with the power unit twice on Friday, but he didn’t let that bother him. The Frenchman simply takes things like that in stride and delivers when it counts. That was very strong.”
French media are lapping it up. L’Equipe’s Jerome Bourret described the “frank and prolonged handshake” between Marko and Hadjar back in the Red Bull hospitality as “worth all the talk.”
For Tsunoda, though, the picture looks grim. Alpine may be his only lifeline, or perhaps Aston Martin if Lawrence Stroll finally cuts ties with his struggling son.
“This looks like a farewell tour to me,” said former driver Ralf Schumacher.
Schumacher admits Hadjar is now in pole position for promotion. “It’s quite a feat to drive alongside Max Verstappen,” he noted. “But I wouldn’t know what to recommend as a manager.
“And Racing Bulls could also use a driver of Hadjar’s calibre as a leader.”
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies insists Tsunoda should not be written off just yet. “Yuki had a great end to the last season and a good start to this one,” he said.
“Here he is still three or four tenths slower than Max, so we will see how he goes from here. There are still ten races ahead, and we are trying to give Yuki all the support we can.”
Hadjar, meanwhile, is relishing his shot. Speaking to Canal Plus after qualifying, the 20-year-old said: “I think it’s the best position to have.
“Verstappen starts third, he’ll open up a bit, he’ll protect me and we’ll follow him. I didn’t do the long runs yesterday, I’m a bit lacking in information but the Ferraris will be difficult to hold back, Russell too, but we’re in a great position to score big points.”
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