Red Bull issued 'gamble' warning over F1 driver line-up

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has warned Red Bull it risks promoting some of its young drivers too early in 2026.

Isack Hadjar has been linked with a promotion to Red Bull next year amid a positive rookie campaign, which peaked with a run to third place at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Yuki Tsunoda has struggled since stepping into the seat early in the year, mirroring the issues faced by Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez before him.

“Yuki has had his chances, to be honest,” Brundle told Sky F1, assessing Red Bull's future.

“Obviously Honda is moving away from Red Bull as well, with that Japanese link. You’ve got to look to the future.”

However, Brundle suggested Hadjar should spend another year at the sister team before being thrown alongside Max Verstappen as he highlighted the importance of having experience in the line-up amid a major regulation change.

“The problem is, for next year, there's such a dramatic change, the biggest ever in the history of F1 with the power units and the chassis, that you want experience, you want knowledge,” he said.

“I think Lawson is showing some potential and some upside. Hadjar, I don't think you want to put him up into the main team.

“I think he needs another year.”

Should Hadjar be promoted to Red Bull, it has been heavily speculated that he would be replaced by rookie Arvid Lindblad.

But a move to F1 for Lindblad, who only turned 18 in August, is another potentially risky move for Red Bull, according to Brundle.

“Lindblad is looking really good, but does he need a bit more experience? It's a gamble.

“They’ll say ‘we refer you to Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel when we put young guys in, and if they're good enough, they can handle it’.

“I suspect it's a heavy discussion as to whether they're going to take a risk on Hadjar in the main team and Lindblad in the Racing Bulls.”