Red Bull Reveals Major 2026 Driver Seats: Hadjar Elevated, Teenager Arvid Lindblad Earns F1 Drive.
Isack Hadjar (left) started his career in Australia currently sitting 10th in the championship. British teen Lindblad (right) is sixth in the F2 standings.
The Red Bull team has confirmed a new line-up for the 2026 Formula 1 season, moving up French driver Isack Hadjar to its main squad and giving British teenager Arvid Lindblad his debut F1 drive.
Lindblad, who is of Swedish and Indian heritage, will be the partner of Kiwi driver Liam Lawson at the second team Racing Bulls.
These changes sees Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda exiting the grid post a half-decade in F1.
The New British Hope
The British teen drove first practice for the British and Mexico City Grands Prix in the current season.
Lindblad has been identified as a potential future star by Red Bull since he was 12 years old.
Discussing the company's young driver programme, a key advisor noted last year that Lindblad "seems extremely gifted", praising his "natural quickness".
The team prepared a programme for some time to ready Lindblad for his likely F1 debut in 2026, featuring appearances in Grand Prix practice at Silverstone and Mexico City.
Lindblad stated it was a "huge honour", commenting: "2026 will be a big challenge, and I know there's much to understand, but I'm eager to work closely with the team and step up. I am incredibly excited to get started."
Lindblad has taken a couple of victories in F2 this year and is P6 in the standings heading into the final round in Abu Dhabi.
Hadjar's Big Break
The French driver celebrates his first podium in F1, achieved at the Zandvoort race this season.
Hadjar's F1 career started on a low note when he crashed on the formation lap of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix. However, from that point, he has been one of the stand-out newcomers of the year.
He included an remarkable top-three result at the Dutch Grand Prix, and he lies 10th in the drivers' standings.
A senior team figure commented: "Hadjar has shown great maturity and demonstrated to be a quick learner. Most importantly, he has the innate pace that is the number one requirement in this sport. We believe he can thrive next to Max."
Hadjar described it "an incredible opportunity" and said he felt "ready".
Lawson Retains His Seat
To partner Lindblad at Racing Bulls, Red Bull have chosen Lawson over Tsunoda.
Lawson began the season with the main team but was demoted early in the year. However, he has found his form at the junior outfit with notable results, persuading Red Bull he deserves more time.
Tsunoda, meanwhile, has been ejected after a difficult season. His best result is a sixth place, and he has accumulated a small fraction of the team's points total.
These announcements confirm that there is also no place on the Red Bull academy for Irish driver Alex Dunne, who will remain in F2 next season.
