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Laurent Mekies ramps up Red Bull tension with fresh hint on Liam Lawson’s future

Originally posted on HITC | By Kyle Archer | Last updated Nov 27, 2025 1:23 PM ET

With just two races remaining in the 2025 season, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson are still waiting to hear if they will be part of the 2026 F1 grid.

The Japanese and New Zealander drivers are the only two drivers from the current field who have yet to secure a seat for next season.

While Red Bull has not made an official announcement about Isack Hadjar’s future, the Racing Bulls rookie is expected to step up to their main team in 2026.

Red Bull are the only team with seats left to fill for 2026, with both of their teams still finalising their line-ups. Max Verstappen remains the only driver under contract for next season. Lawson admitted he has “no idea” when a decision will be made on his future after Red Bull pushed back their timeline.

The Milton Keynes outfit had originally aimed to have their driver line-ups settled by the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix at the end of October. However, after round 20 of 24, team principal Laurent Mekies said that Tsunoda, Hadjar, Lawson and academy prospect Arvid Lindblad would need to wait longer for a decision.

Red Bull to reveal 2026 driver line-ups right after the Qatar GP

Photo by Clive Rose – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

Mekies has since confirmed that Red Bull will announce their driver line-ups for both teams right after the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix. The F1 calendar is now in Lusail for a sprint weekend, with the season finale in Abu Dhabi just around the corner.

“We will announce our line-up immediately after Qatar,” Mekies said following the Las Vegas GP (via Nextgen Auto).

He then added: “Just one more week of patience.”

Nextgen Auto also reported that Mekies’ update has added pressure within Red Bulls’ garage, especially for Tsunoda. The 25-year-old admitted to feeling “nervous” about his future after another race without points.

The Japanese star appears to be on borrowed time within the Red Bull setup. His best chance for staying in F1 might involve following Honda to Aston Martin, though only as a reserve behind Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.

The expected move is Hadjar stepping up to join Verstappen at Red Bull, while Lawson stays with Racing Bulls alongside Lindblad. Lawson’s recent form seems to have secured him another year with the team.

Racing Bulls plan for Liam Lawson to help guide Arvid Lindblad in 2026

Signs point toward Tsunoda’s time with Red Bull ending after this year. Since taking over from Lawson in March, he has not found much success – managing just 25 points out of Red Bull’s total haul of 391 so far this season.

Lawson was moved back to Racing Bulls after failing to score any points during his two-race stint with the main team. Since then, he has steadied himself again, putting up 36 points compared to Hadjar’s 51 heading into next season.

The decision to keep him in Racing Bulls seems less about results and more about giving Lindblad someone experienced alongside him when he steps up from Formula Two.

Lindblad’s had some good moments in F2 – like winning races in Saudi Arabia and Barcelona – but crashes have been frequent during his rookie year.

This article first appeared on HITC and was syndicated with permission.

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