Racing Bulls' Mekies 'Relaxed' on 2026 Red Bull Driver Decision

Isack Hadjar's impressive rookie season, highlighted by a P3 podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix, has fueled speculation about his future with Red Bull. However, Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies remains calm regarding the 2026 driver lineup.

Why it matters

Hadjar’s strong performance positions him as a potential candidate for Red Bull, especially with reports suggesting Yuki Tsunoda may depart after 2025. The decision will shape Red Bull's future alongside Max Verstappen, often dubbed 'the hardest seat in motorsport'.

The big picture

• Hadjar's Ascent: The French-Algerian driver overcame a tough debut to secure a maiden podium at Zandvoort, pushing him into the top ten in the standings, 17 points ahead of teammate Liam Lawson.
• Tsunoda's Status: Yuki Tsunoda is reportedly set to leave Red Bull's system at the end of the 2025 season, creating an opening. Despite this, Mekies noted Tsunoda’s recent positive trend, including points in Zandvoort and a strong qualifying in Spa.

What Mekies said

Laurent Mekies emphasized that Racing Bulls is not rushing its driver decision for Red Bull:

• "We have time with our driver decision. We have enough drivers between the driver programmes to cover quite a few scenarios for next year, and we don’t have real reasons to rush into decisions."
• He praised Hadjar's progress: "It’s obviously extremely nice to watch Isack’s progress... performing at the level he did in the last race was a fantastic demonstration of how much progress he's made."
• Mekies reiterated confidence: "We are relaxed about the driver topic, because fundamentally we have all our cards on the Red Bull side, and we can take a few more weeks – or months – to decide."

What's next

Red Bull will continue to evaluate its pool of talent, including Hadjar and Tsunoda, before making a definitive choice for the challenging 2026 season. The team respects the impact on drivers but feels it has ample time.