F1 star's career hanging by a thread as his own team boss refuses to address situation
There could be more driver changes on the way
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has repeatedly dodged questions about the future of Yuki Tsunoda in Formula 1. The Japanese driver, who was promoted to partner Max Verstappen after just two rounds into the season, replacing an underperforming Liam Lawson, is battling to secure his place on the grid for 2026.
Despite having more experience than Lawson, Tsunoda has struggled to accumulate enough points to guarantee his spot with Red Bull Racing. Although he spent much of the season without a car comparable to Verstappen's, recent races have seen him make progress.
Since taking over from Christian Horner as team principal, Mekies has ensured that their second driver has access to more current equipment, allowing Tsunoda to close the gap with Verstappen. However, the pressure remains high, particularly given the impressive performance of Isack Hadjar.
The French rookie has made a strong impression in his debut season with junior team Racing Bulls, even securing his first F1 podium at Zandvoort. It's believed that Hadjar is the frontrunner to be Verstappen's teammate next year. Despite this, Mekies maintains that he's not in a hurry to finalise his 2026 line-up.
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He said: "We have made no secret, we feel we have time to take a decision. We don't think anything is pressing us. Obviously, we are looking with a great smile at Isack's progress – I think he has been outstanding.
"We are equally seeing Yuki being able to do a significant step forward in the last few races. We have all the cards on our side, so there is no need for us to rush."
Elevating Hadjar wouldn't automatically spell an F1 departure for Tsunoda, as demoting him back to Racing Bulls remains a possibility.
However, it's unclear whether there would be room for him there, with Lawson expected to secure an extension and promising teenager Arvid Lindblad being groomed for advancement from Formula 2.
When pressed twice about whether Tsunoda could return to Racing Bulls, Mekies sidestepped giving a straight response.
He answered: "We do not really have to take those decisions now. We have the luxury to be able to look at how our drivers are going to evolve in the next few races. We may not want to wait until the last race, fair enough, but we have the luxury to see how they are going to evolve.
"I have said, Isack has done a very good step forward and we will decide in a few weeks. I can only talk about Red Bull Racing, but I am confident that, for both teams, why would we make the decision now, one way or another? We have the cards and we give our drivers in both teams a few more races to show what they can show to us."