Final 2025 F1 seat contenders

Officially, nine of the 10 F1 teams have a complete driver pairing for next season, with RB being the exception. 

Of course, there is speculation over Sergio Perez's Red Bull future; however, he does at least have a contract with the Milton Keynes-based team for next year. 

Whilst RB has confirmed Yuki Tsunoda for the next campaign, the official final seat on the grid still available is the one alongside the Japanese driver. 

The Faenza-based team has plenty of candidates! RacingNews365 takes a deeper look.

Liam Lawson

The most obvious contender is Liam Lawson, who is currently completing the season alongside Tsunoda after Daniel Ricciardo was axed following the Singapore Grand Prix. 

In his three appearances this year, Lawson has scored points in two of them and has been a threat to Tsunoda. A question mark around Lawson is whether it will be the RB seat he receives, or Perez's. 

That is the crucial factor, as the New Zealander is the big favourite to partner Tsunoda should Red Bull stick with Perez or look elsewhere. 

Lawson has three more races to prove to Red Bull that he deserves the spot next to Max Verstappen.

Isack Hadjar

Should Lawson miss out on both Perez's seat and the vacant spot at RB, then Red Bull junior driver Isack Hadjar is a strong candidate. 

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has spoken very highly about Hadjar, who is currently second in the F2 drivers' title. 

Hadjar is battling Stake F1's new driver for 2025 Gabriel Bortoleto for the F2 title, with four races remaining in Qatar and Abu Dhabi. 

The Frenchman was used by Red Bull in first practice at Silverstone earlier this year, and is viewed as a talent.

Franco Colapinto

Franco Colapinto has emerged as a possible contender for the RB seat; however, it is more likely to see him alongside Verstappen. 

The Williams driver has emerged as a serious candidate for Perez's seat, with RacingNews365 understanding that a $20 million fee will need to be paid by Red Bull for his services. 

Despite struggling in Mexico City and São Paulo, Colapinto has impressed many in the F1 paddock. His huge financial backing in Argentina has also made him very popular. 

Whilst he is a rumoured option for Red Bull rather than RB, could Colapinto instead be given a season in the junior team to gain further experience?

Ayumu Iwasa

A driver we have not seen very much of this year, but who still belongs to the Red Bull family, is Ayumu Iwasa. 

The Japanese, along with Tsunoda, provided an all-Japanese line-up in first practice ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, but has not really been heard of since. 

Iwasa has raced in Super Formula this year, where he finished fifth in the championship. He failed to claim a victory, but did secure three P2 finishes. 

Arvid Lindblad

The biggest outsider Red Bull's junior sensation Arvid Lindblad, who claimed four wins on his way to finishing fourth in the F3 drivers' standings. 

Lindblad has been confirmed as a Campos Racing F2 driver for next season, but could he instead receive a last-minute promotion to RB?

It is likely that Red Bull will be wanting Lindblad to complete at least one more season in a junior category for his development.