Tsunoda, Lawson, Hadjar - Who should join Verstappen in 2026? Our verdict

Red Bull‘s long-running dilemma of who should partner Max Verstappen shows no sign of ending as the 2026 Formula 1 season approaches.

With just four months to go until testing begins in Barcelona, the team appears uncertain of its choice, as it continues to focus on its own pool of drivers.

The three candidates currently in F1, Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar, each bringing a different mix of speed, experience, and potential, but also their own drawbacks.

Our writers make the case for why each candidate deserves the most-sought remaining seat in Formula 1.

Liam Lawson

It’s still clear that Red Bull needs a street fighting man to drive alongside its indomitable world champion Max Verstappen, and on the Baku boulevards Liam Lawson showed that he’s still No1 choice.

While both Yuki Tsunoda and Isack Hadjar are prone to their temperamental moments, Lawson channels a more controlled fire.

This was on display at the 2025 Azerbaijan GP, the Kiwi taking advantage of the circumstances to qualify third and then finish fifth ahead of much faster cars.

The toughness of Lawson has been on display throughout his career, and even through his lowest moments this season too.

We’re talking about a kid here who, prior to F1, won on his debut in every single race car category he’d competed in.

Lawson quickly scored points when subbing for the Red Bull junior team in the last couple of years, but suffered immensely during his two appearances for the senior squad in 2025, and was swiftly demoted.

Still, the New Zealander dug deep and now is just nine points behind his much-hyped team-mate Hadjar (30 to 39).

Meanwhile, his recent efforts have helped Racing Bulls get to within 30 points of Williams, a deficit which is surmountable if the two young charges keep putting in solid performances.

Next up is Singapore, where Lawson scored his first F1 points in just his third race, also outqualifying all his Red Bull colleagues in the process – including Verstappen.

It’s refreshing too, and will be music to Red Bull’s ears, that Lawson is rarely satisfied, even with his brilliant fifth place in Baku.

“It is a little bit disappointing from where we are starting and realistically we didn’t have the speed to fight with the guys in front today,” he said.

“But you’re always hopeful. And we tried everything today, but there just wasn’t quite enough, but still to have a P5 is big for us, especially in the championship right now.”

Fifth is Lawson’s career best finish so far in F1. He’s only getting better, and is the right man for Red Bull.

— James Elson

Yuki Tsunoda

The fact that there’s a debate over Red Bull’s second driver says everything about Yuki Tsunoda’s shaky claim to the seat but, given the team’s limited options, he’s the best candidate available.

While that’s hardly a resounding endorsement, perfection can be the enemy of the good even in F1. Although Tsunoda may never trouble Max Verstappen, he looks increasingly capable of being a dependable second driver who can pick up points, and potentially win when his team-mate hits trouble.

Many great champions have had a Berger, a Barrichello or a Bottas in the same role and while his surname doesn’t fit the mould, Tsunoda’s driving does: he’s quick but with little sign of the flair or force of nature that marks out a potential champion.

On that front, Isack Hadjar looks to be a better bet, but that’s not what Red Bull needs next year as it grapples with an all-new car designed for the first time without any input from Adrian Newey; from an all-new power unit built in-house in partnership with Ford; and as it starts a new season without Christian Horner for the first time in its history.

It will need to lean heavily on the insights of both drivers amid frantic development over three pre-season testing sessions and early races, when all teams will be scrabbling to hone their car designs and steal better ideas from rivals.

Getting a new driver accustomed to the team is time that Red Bull can ill-afford. And given its track record, does it really want to risk losing another talent that it promotes too quickly to the famously unforgiving environment?

The lack of alternatives shouldn’t mask Tsunoda’s progression this year, in a car that’s frequently been of an older specification than Verstappen’s. Team boss Laurent Mekies, whom he worked with at Racing Bulls, has praised his work rate, and — at Baku at least — Tsunoda looked to have turned a corner with the notoriously difficult car, finishing in the points after making it through to the final Q3 stage of qualifying — albeit with a fastest lap time that was 0.7sec off Verstappen’s best.

Red Bull will want an alternative in place for when Verstappen eventually leaves but after two seasons of turmoil, Tsunoda looks most like the driver it needs for 2026.

— Dominic Tobin

Isack Hadjar

First, a disclaimer: I don’t believe Red Bull should pick any of its current juniors and not-so-juniors to be Max Verstappen’s team-mate next year.

Red Bull needs a veteran driver with a much thicker skin than Tsunoda, Hadjar or Lawson have at this point in their careers.

It’s not fully their fault, though. They are just not yet in a position to be team-mate to the best driver on the grid by some margin.

They may or may not be in the future; that’s hard to tell, but right now, none of them should be put in the situation of having to go side-by-side against Verstappen, particularly if the 2026 car/engine package doesn’t prove to be the class of the field.

Red Bull needs someone like Leclerc, Russell, or even Alonso: drivers who might still be outperformed by Verstappen on a regular basis but whose ability is already beyond doubt and whose careers might bounce back even if they were to be dominated by Verstappen.

Sergio Perez is a good example of what I mean: he was destroyed by Verstappen last year, but has still found a way back into Formula 1 because what he did before 2024 counted for something. When Red Bull picks a driver from its current roster to partner with Verstappen, they are unlikely to be in a similar situation.

Having said all that, Red Bull will pick one of its current drivers as Verstappen’s team-mate, and Hadjar is the best candidate.

Hadjar ticks many of the boxes for the Red Bull drive: speed, consistency, mental toughness and maturity beyond his years. He also comes from the Red Bull system, so that’s another point in his favour, at least in the team’s eyes.

Hadjar’s season has not been without fault, but the French-Algerian has been the most consistent of the drivers vying for the seat alongside Verstappen, and the standings reflects that: he has scored more points than Tsunoda did in any of his four seasons at Red Bull’s junior team.

There may have been several factors contributing to his first F1 podium at Zandvoort, but the way he dealt with the pressure from Russell and Leclerc tells me Hadjar is best placed for the Red Bull position.

Even Helmut Marko has said that Hadjar has the mental strength to race alongside Verstappen.

Like I said above, Red Bull should look elsewhere to find a team-mate for its star driver next year, but in the absence of other options, Hadjar has shown he has the best chance of surviving, and perhaps thriving, as Verstappen’s team-mate.

— Pablo Elizalde