Sep.5 (GMM) Isack Hadjar’s path to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2026 looks increasingly clear after fresh comments from both Helmut Marko and the French rookie himself at Monza.
The 20-year-old stunned with a debut podium at Zandvoort for Racing Bulls, and Red Bull’s top advisor is barely concealing his intentions. “He certainly has the mental strength to hold his own against Verstappen,” Marko told Kleine Zeitung.
He added that Hadjar shows “great emotional regulation in tight situations” – a quality he believes is “largely no longer visible in Formula 1.”
A final decision is still weeks away, but the writing appears to be on the wall for Yuki Tsunoda. “Yeah. That’s what I’m trying to do every race,” Tsunoda admitted when asked if he’s now trying to impress and convince his bosses.
“You always need results as much as possible. I try to exceed expectations and just keep doing what I’m doing. Since Laurent joined, actually, my results haven’t been too bad. Obviously, whether it’s enough or not, that’s not for me to decide.
“But I just keep pushing.”
Hadjar, meanwhile, is already talking openly about the timing of his step up to the big league. “I don’t see the point in being there now,” he said at Monza. “But next year will be different.
“It’s a fresh start for the team, and there won’t be any more talk about the second car – the second driver. It’s a new car for everyone and that also makes switching from one racing team to another considerably easier.
“Of course I’m thinking about driving for Red Bull Racing next year, but there are still nine races left, and I want to prove that I deserve my place here with the Racing Bulls first.”
Asked about talks with Marko or Laurent Mekies, he replied: “Not me personally yet. But to be honest, I’m not in a hurry.”
The current plan would see Hadjar move up from Racing Bulls, with teenage junior Arvid Lindblad tipped as his replacement while Liam Lawson looks safe for 2026.
“Fundamentally, we want to stick with our driver pool when it comes to the cockpits for 2026,” Marko explained. “If a super talent emerges, we won’t turn a blind eye, of course, but that’s not the case at the moment.”
Not everyone in the paddock envies a Red Bull call, however. Gabriel Bortoleto’s father Lincoln Oliveira told UOL Esporte that some drivers now see the seat as a poisoned chalice.
“Drivers are afraid they’ll have to take Tsunoda’s place,” he claimed. “No matter how many things need to be fixed, I’d say it’s easier to tackle things internally at Sauber than to fix the whole car at Red Bull.
“There are even jokes: ‘If Red Bull calls, I turn my phone off,'” he added.
Indeed, former Racing Bulls chief Franz Tost doubts Tsunoda has a fallback option now. “Yuki is very, very talented,” he told Speed Week. “But he still needs good results, otherwise I don’t see a future for him.”
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