Red Bull 'Not in a Hurry' to Pick Max Verstappen's 2026 F1 Teammate

Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has confirmed his team is "not in any hurry" to confirm Max Verstappen's teammate for the 2026 Formula 1 campaign. The decision comes amidst ongoing speculation regarding the second Red Bull seat.### Why it matters:Red Bull has a well-documented history of frequently changing drivers in its second F1 seat. This decision will not only impact current teammate Yuki Tsunoda but also other promising Red Bull junior drivers like Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, shaping the team's long-term strategy and driver development pipeline.### The details: * Yuki Tsunoda, currently Verstappen's teammate, has faced struggles but has shown significant improvement in the last two rounds, particularly at Spa and Budapest. * Red Bull utilizes its junior squad, Racing Bulls, as a crucial platform to evaluate young talent, providing a strategic advantage in driver selection. * Mekies highlighted Tsunoda's recent "step forward" in performance and noted the considerable progress being made by Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls and Isack Hadjar in the junior categories, stating that Hadjar continues to surprise them at every race. * The team's immediate focus remains on maximizing performance for the remainder of the 2025 season, where Red Bull currently sits fourth in the championship.### What's next:Red Bull plans to carefully evaluate driver performances over the remaining 10 races of the 2025 season. Mekies indicated that the final decision regarding Verstappen's 2026 teammate will be made after this period of comprehensive assessment, ensuring the best possible choice for all involved.