Helmut Marko throws Red Bull F1 driver future into further uncertainty after transfer talks

red bull, helmut marko, max verstappen, yuki tsunoda — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull Crisis

Marko throws Red Bull F1 driver future into further uncertainty after transfer talks

Red Bull F1 team have a tricky driver decision on their hands

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Monday 8 September 2025 10:56

Red Bull F1 advisor Helmut Marko has added further confusion into the mix as the Milton Keynes-based team are faced with a tricky driver lineup dilemma.

Though Max Verstappen appears to be out of the championship fight thanks to the continued strong form of McLaren so far this season, the Dutchman has committed to staying at Red Bull for at least one more campaign.

His 2026 team-mate on the other hand is yet to be announced despite frequent rumours that Red Bull's current second driver, Yuki Tsunoda, will be replaced.

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The most surprising candidate in a long list of potential replacements for the Japanese driver is four-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, who was linked to Red Bull last month off the back of his 2025 title success across the pond.

However, when speaking to Kleine Zeitung about the rumours of a switch to F1 for Palou, Marko claimed there was absolutely "no truth" to the claims that Red Bull was in negotiations with him, stating: "That's not true."

Red Bull future unclear for Tsunoda

Marko's statement not only appears to rule out the potential addition of another four-time champion to their ranks, but also provides even less clarity to Tsunoda over his future at the team.

Following the Austrian advisor's comments, Tsunoda secured his first points finish in over three months with the main Red Bull team, but it still wasn't enough to improve the squad's P4 position in the constructors' standings.

Verstappen has earned 230 of Red Bull's 239 points total so far in 2025, after his Italian GP win on Sunday and the team now run by Laurent Mekies won't be able to continue running as a one-mad outfit for much longer.

To further exacerbate Tsunoda's struggles since his F1 promotion, both of the drivers at the junior team have gone from strength to strength.

Racing Bulls star Liam Lawson appears to much more comfortable back at the junior outfit and with a promotion reportedly off the cards for him again after his two-race stint, team-mate Isack Hadjar looks like the sensible option to complete Red Bull's 2026 lineup.

At the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Hadjar earned his first F1 podium, finishing just one place behind Verstappen, the man who could be his future team-mate.

But as questions continue to be raised over whether such a move could destroy the Frenchman's career, it leaves Tsunoda without a back up plan given that a demotion back to the junior outfit would also not seem logical.

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