“Can cause a sensation”
Top talent becomes Verstappen’s new teammate
12/02/2025 – 4:44 p.mReading time: 2 minutes
For Yuki Tsunoda, the season that is now ending as Max Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull was disappointing. It is now clear who will be sitting in the cockpit “next to” the four-time world champion instead of the Japanese.
The Frenchman Isack Hadjar will be Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen’s new teammate at Red Bull, replacing Yuki Tsunoda. Red Bull announced this on Tuesday. Hadjar impressed as a rookie with the sister team Racing Bulls and is now receiving the coveted cockpit.
However, there is no place for the Japanese Tsunoda at the Racing Bulls either. In his place, Englishman Arvid Lindblad will be brought up from Formula 2 and will start alongside New Zealander Liam Lawson, as the team also confirmed on Tuesday. Tsunoda will act as a test and reserve driver at Red Bull in 2026 behind Verstappen and Hadjar.
Hadjar “showed great maturity in his first Formula 1 season and proved to be a quick learner,” said Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies: “But above all, he demonstrated the enormous speed, which is the most important prerequisite in this sport. We believe that Isack can shine alongside Max and cause a sensation on the track.”
For Hadjar, it is “a great reward after all the hard work I have done since joining the junior team,” the 21-year-old is quoted in the statement: “I feel ready and am happy and proud. It’s a great step. Working with the best and learning from Max is something I’m really looking forward to.”
Tsunoda was only promoted to Red Bull during the current season at the end of March and replaced Lawson. But the 25-year-old did not meet the high expectations; Verstappen has collected 396 of the Red Bull team’s 426 points this season. “Everyone in motorsport will agree that you just have to like Yuki. His personality is infectious and he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family,” said Mekies.
The Mexican Sergio Pérez endured alongside Verstappen from 2021 to 2024. In contrast to other top teams such as McLaren (Lando Norris/Oscar Piastri) or Ferrari (Charles Leclerc/Lewis Hamilton), Red Bull has a very strict hierarchy. As a four-time world champion and currently the strongest driver in the field, Verstappen is always number one, his teammate has to come to terms with the status of number two.