F1 star targets Red Bull seat as Yuki Tsunoda struggles questioned

Yuki Tsunoda, British GP, 2025, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

F1 star targets Red Bull seat as Yuki Tsunoda struggles questioned

Are Red Bull due for another driver reshuffle next season?

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Sunday 20 July 2025 21:59

A star of the 2025 F1 grid has doubled down on his intentions to target a full-time seat at Red Bull.

The energy drink giants have a track record of eyeing up racing talent and signing them to their driver development programme from an early age, with stars flourishing under the leadership of Helmut Marko.

The Austrian has hand-picked an array of impressive names over the years to add to Red Bull's ranks, but their 2026 line-up looks set for a reshuffle in both the main and junior teams.

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Star driver Max Verstappen has flirted with a move to Mercedes as his battle with the RB21 persists, and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda is shaping up to be the latest in a long line of drivers unable to extract performance out of the car alongside the Dutchman.

If Red Bull do find themselves in need of an urgent driver reshuffle, their options are relatively slim having already given Liam Lawson a shot at the start of this season.

Instead, Lawson's team-mate Isack Hadjar would seem the most sensible signing should Verstappen or Tsunoda not continue with the main team for 2026, but would the Racing Bulls rookie even want the seat should it be offered to him?

Could Isack Hadjar be the answer to Red Bull's second driver issue?

Should Red Bull hand Hadjar F1 promotion?

As the 2025 campaign reaches the halfway point, Hadjar has emerged as one of the most impressive rookies of the year.

Having picked himself up from a dreadful debut in Australia, the 20-year-old has consistently brought home points for Racing Bulls, and now sits just outside the top 10 in the drivers' standings in his maiden season.

The French star has therefore been touted as a potential replacement for either Verstappen or Tsunoda depending on how this summer's silly season plays out, but Hadjar could face a similar problem to Tsunoda and Lawson should he also be promoted.

Speaking to media including GPFans at the British GP last time out, Hadjar admitted he didn’t know what Tsunoda’s issues were at Red Bull given he had witnessed his capabilities during their brief stint as team-mates at Racing Bulls earlier this year, but suggested that he would like to find out for himself.

"I don’t know what’s going on over there, obviously," he said. "Only thing I can tell is Yuki is very fast.

"When I signed the contract with Red Bull four years ago the goal was to get to Red Bull. So that hasn’t changed.

"It’s definitely interesting. I would obviously love to [join Red Bull], out of curiosity, go and have a look for myself," he concluded before clarifying that the potential of a move to Red Bull had not been discussed with the team just yet.

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