Christian Horner, Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko

Red Bull heartbreak ahead? ‘They could lose Max—and they’re not ready’

17:39, 08 Jun

byNorberto Mujica

Juan Pablo Montoya and his son F2 driver Sebastian Montoya have opened up on the tough spot Red Bull Racing is in. With Yuki Tsunoda's current form and demoted Liam Lawson failing to convince either, it all falls down to Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar. But according to the father and son duo, he may not even want the Red Bull seat.

However, when Liam Lawson was demoted from Red Bull to Racing Bulls, GPblog revealed that should Tsunoda not want to take over from the New Zealander, he actually did not have a say in the matter. So should Hadjar be called up, he'd have to make the step up to Red Bull Racing and partner Max Verstappen, willingly or unwillingly so.

Discussing Red Bull's situation on the MontoyAS podcast, the colombian former F1 driver touched on Tsunoda first. "He] started very well and in the last few races he is getting worse. What's going to happen there? And Lawson is not doing so well either."

Max Verstappen

A Red Bull stuck between a rock and a hard place, sees Montoya

"Red Bull is in a complicated position because they have a chance of losing Max, they don't want want Tsunoda and they probably don't want Lawson [either]." Montoya's son, Sebastian, then added: "And I don't think Hayar wants to go up to Red Bull."

The Indy500 and Monaco Grand Prix winner outlined a bleak future for Red Bull, which in turns spreads out many interesting narratives toward the end of the current season and the beginning of the 2026 campaign.

"They're not in an easy position. Everything that comes their way is very complicated. But we'll see. I think that the 2026 is going to be a very interesting year."

In an earlier part of the podcast, Montoya also criticised Verstappen over his crash with Russell, claiming the Dutch driver had 'lost his mind'.