Isack Hadjar taking Yuki Tsunoda's Red Bull spot for 2026 season

Isack Hadjar will replace Yuki Tsunoda as the second Red Bull competitor alongside Max Verstappen for the 2026 F1 season, the team announced Tuesday.

Hadjar, 21, is wrapping up a moderately successful rookie season for Racing Bulls, Red Bull's sister team. He enters the final race of the season this week in Abu Dhabi in 10th place in the World Drivers' Championship standings.

Since crashing out during the formation lap in his F1 debut in Australia, he's tallied points in 11 races this season and earned his first career podium with a third-place finish in the Dutch Grand Prix Aug. 31.

Tsunoda, meanwhile, is 15th in the WDC standings, well behind teammate Verstappen, who moved into second place last weekend in Qatar and remains in contention for his fifth straight F1 championship.

The 25-year-old earned points in eight races this season, but has done so just four times in the last 16 races after a stronger start to the season. Tsunoda's relegation will leave him without a spot on the F1 grid for the first time since 2021.

Red Bull Racing also announced that Arvid Lindblad, an F2 competitor for the Red Bull Junior team, will be promoted to take Hadjar's Racing Bulls spot for 2026. He'll team up alongside Liam Lawson, who will return for a third season with Racing Bulls next year.

Lawson is one spot and five points (38-33) ahead of Tsunoda in the WDC standings entering the final race.

--Field Level Media