Max Verstappen future team-mate claim made: 'No other way to spin it'

Isack Hadjar will be Max Verstappen's team-mate at Red Bull for 2026.

That is the undeniable verdict from 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve after witnessing the rise and performances of Racing Bulls driver Hadjar over the course of his debut campaign this year.

In Sunday's Dutch Grand Prix, Hadjar delivered the drive of his rookie season to date to become the fifth youngest driver in F1 history to score a podium.

The French-Algerian was assisted by an element of good fortune with the retirement of Lando Norris with seven laps remaining, but he was in the right place to capitalise after superbly defending throughout the fourth position he had secured in qualifying.

With Hadjar outperforming Racing Bulls team-mate Liam Lawson since his demotion from Red Bull after two races, and with Yuki Tsunoda struggling at the senior team since his promotion in place of the New Zealander, Villeneuve feels advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Laurent Mekies have an easy decision to make.

"He is heading to Red Bull," said Villeneuve, speaking on The F1 Show. "There's no doubt there. There's no other way to spin it.

"He is being prepped for Red Bull. He was put there by Helmut Marko to see how he would cope with F1, and he's been coping better than any other junior Red Bull driver, and other than Max, better than any Red Bull driver.

"Anyway, he doesn't decide when he goes up. He's a Red Bull driver. They decide where he drives. The only one who actually cannot be demoted is Max. He has a different contract than everyone else."

Tsunoda to see out the season

Villeneuve is convinced the promotion for Hadjar will occur over the winter and not before, despite the fact Tsunoda is costing Red Bull a shot at finishing second in the constructors' championship, and with it, millions of dollars in prize money.

Tsunoda has scored just nine points in 13 races since replacing Lawson. In contrast, Verstappen has scored 169 with an RB21 that has not been to his liking.

It means Red Bull go into the final nine grands prix, starting this weekend at Monza in Italy, 46 points shy of second-placed Mercedes, and 34 points adrift of Ferrari in third. The financial difference between finishing second and fourth is around $20m.

Villeneuve, though, does not see Hadjar replacing Tsunoda this season for one very specific reason.

"Independently of Yuki's lack of results, Honda paid a lot of money for that seat, so he [Tsunoda] will stick until the end of the season," said Villeneuve.

"But he is not staying for next year. They don't want him for next year, anyway, and they never really wanted him.

"Otherwise, he would have started the season at the main team, instead of Liam Lawson."