Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has detailed how he will judge who should race for the squad next year.
Max Verstappen has already pledged his position within the team for 2026 despite his immediate future being an uncertain topic for much of the year.
The Dutchman has often been Red Bull's only point-scorer this year with Yuki Tsunoda struggling in the second seat.
Tsunoda was promoted to Red Bull early in the season after Liam Lawson endured a challenging opening two rounds behind the wheel of the RB21.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar has been linked with a promotion to the team amid his strong rookie campaign.
When asked what criteria he will analyse to decide who will race alongside Max Verstappen next year, Mekies told media including RacingNews365: “Quali pace and race pace.
“It’s as simple as that.”
Tsunoda failed to score points last time out at Monza despite finishing in the top 10 after qualifying.
However, Mekies detailed there are positives to take from the weekend.
“The race for Yuki was difficult to read because of the traffic in the first stint and damage in the second stint,” he said.
“I look at qualifying, and I still qualify it as a good weekend.
He was two tenths from Max in Q1, and Max was not exactly.
”Then, with a small deficit from the car, he was two tenths from Max in Q2 and there is no doubt everybody is pushing 100 per cent in Q2.
“Yes, the gap was bigger in Q3 - but first, he put the car in Q3, which is a very good performance.
"And second, he was first on the road in Q3, it didn't help as well.
“Short-run pace was a very good sample for Yuki. Long-run pace, it's frustrating not to have clean race data."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on the Italian Grand Prix! Max Verstappen's dominant win is a lead discussion, as is whether McLaren has set a precedent with its controversial team orders.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!