Red Bull Confirms Major 2026 Driver Seats: Hadjar Elevated, Teenager Lindblad Earns F1 Drive.
French driver Hadjar (left) started his career in Australia currently sitting tenth in the championship. British teen Lindblad (right) is sixth in the F2 championship.
The Red Bull team has revealed significant changes for the 2026 F1 campaign, elevating Frenchman Isack Hadjar to its senior team and giving 18-year-old Briton Arvid Lindblad his debut Formula 1 seat.
Lindblad, who has a Swedish father and a mother of Indian descent, will be the partner of Kiwi driver Liam Lawson at the second team VCARB.
These changes sees Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda being without a drive post a half-decade in F1.
A Star in the Making
The British teen drove first practice for the Silverstone and Mexican Grands Prix in the current season.
The youngster was marked out as a potential future star by Red Bull since he was 12 years old.
Discussing the team's young driver programme, a senior Red Bull figure noted last year that Lindblad "seems extremely gifted", praising his "natural quickness".
Red Bull has been working for some time to ready Lindblad for his likely Grand Prix bow in 2026, including runs in Grand Prix practice at Silverstone and Mexico City.
Lindblad stated it was a "dream come true", commenting: "2026 will be a big challenge, and I know there's plenty to absorb, but I'm eager to work closely with the team and meet the challenge. I can't wait to get started."
Lindblad has taken two races in F2 so far this season and is sixth in the standings heading into the season finale in Abu Dhabi.
A Major Opportunity for Hadjar
The French driver enjoys his maiden top-three finish in F1, secured at the Zandvoort race in August.
Hadjar's F1 career started in difficult fashion when he spun out during the warm-up lap of the first Australian Grand Prix. However, from that point, he has emerged as one of the stand-out rookies of the year.
He featured an outstanding podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix, and he sits 10th in the championship.
A senior team figure said: "Isack has shown great maturity and proved to be a quick learner. Crucially, he has the raw speed that is the primary necessity in this sport. We believe he can excel next to Max."
The promoted driver called it "an incredible opportunity" and said he felt "up for the challenge".
The Lawson Decision
For the seat at the junior team, Red Bull have chosen Lawson instead of Tsunoda.
Lawson began the season with the senior squad but was demoted early in the year. However, he has found his form at the junior outfit with some strong performances, convincing Red Bull he merits another season.
The Japanese driver, meanwhile, has been ejected after a disappointing season. His best result is a P6, and he has scored a small fraction of the team's points total.
The driver market moves confirm that there is also no place on the Red Bull academy for Irish driver Alex Dunne, who will remain in F2 for 2026.
