Red Bull Racing made this decision about Verstappen's teammate in '26

12:54, 14 Aug

Updated: 13:50, 14 Aug

byLudo van Denderen

The summer break is usually the time for Red Bull to make decisions about their driver line-up for the upcoming year. This season too, it is expected that decisions will be taken during this time. According to the American ESPN, one thing is already completely clear.

Only Max Verstappen is certain that he will drive for Red Bull Racing. Who his teammate will be is uncertain. Isack Hadjar is likely to have the greatest chance, the rookie who impresses at sister team Racing Bulls. He would then replace Yuki Tsunoda who could only save his skin by performing a huge turnaround in performance.

'Lawson can forget about promotion'

Liam Lawson will definitely not be next to Verstappen again, sources within Red Bull have told ESPN. The New Zealander will not get another chance with the main team. This decision wouldn't come as a surprise, as Red Bull has never re-promoted a driver who has first been downgraded from Red Bull Racing to Racing Bulls.

'Liam Lawson is not returning next to Max Verstappen'

The most obvious thing is that Lawson stays with Racing Bulls in 2026, where he becomes teammates with Arvid Lindblad. The eighteen-year-old Brit is considered a great talent and is almost certainly going to be promoted from Formula 2.

It's no secret that Helmut Marko, the external advisor who decides on Red Bull teams' drivers, is a big fan of Lindblad. Internally, he is seen as the next driver after Max Verstappen who can make a serious bid for the world championship.