Red Bull Set to Drop a Driver And the Signs Are Now Impossible to Ignore
With just three races remaining in the 2025 Formula 1 season, the pressure has intensified within Red Bull’s driver programme. The team must soon finalise its 2026 lineup, yet astonishingly, only one man in the entire Red Bull camp knows his fate: reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
Every other Red Bull-affiliated driver, including the three prospects battling for a future seat—Isack Hadjar, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda—remains in limbo. While Lawson was previously dismissed as a contender after struggling earlier in the season, Red Bull is notorious for unpredictable decisions, meaning no option can ever be fully discarded. But a subtle detail that has gone largely unnoticed strongly suggests that one name may already be pencilled in for promotion—Arvid Lindblad.
Lindblad: The Red Bull Junior With No Backup Plan for 2026
Lindblad’s situation is unique compared to the rest. Currently seventh in the 2025 Formula 2 standings with two rounds to go, the 18-year-old British-Italian driver has been part of Red Bull’s junior programme since 2021. His performances—and his potential—have kept him firmly in Helmut Marko’s sight.
This year, he received special FIA permission at just 18 years old to obtain a super licence early, allowing him to participate in Formula 1 Free Practice sessions. He has since driven the RB21 twice: first at Silverstone and then at the Mexican Grand Prix.
In Mexico City, he delivered what many insiders consider a breakthrough performance. Not only did he avoid mistakes—something not all rookies can claim—but he also finished sixth, impressively ahead of both Tsunoda and Hadjar. That result alone was enough to raise eyebrows, especially with Tsunoda already under heavy scrutiny over his inconsistency this season.
But the real smoking gun is found outside the F1 paddock. Lindblad currently races for Campos Racing in F2, yet the team has already confirmed its 2026 lineup: Nikola Tsolov and Noel Leon. The very obvious absentee? Arvid Lindblad.
Without an F2 seat for next year, and with no other feeder-series negotiations publicly in play, the evidence points to one conclusion: Lindblad is poised to move into Formula 1, with the only remaining question being which team will claim him—Red Bull or Racing Bulls.
Where Will He Go: Red Bull or Racing Bulls?
This is where the dilemma intensifies. Red Bull now faces a delicate balancing act.
On one hand, promoting Lindblad directly into the main team could be seen as a bold but logical move. Red Bull tends to thrive on risk, especially when nurturing young talent. If the team wants to shake up the Verstappen partnership as new 2026 regulations reset the sport, bringing Lindblad into the top seat could be the ultimate statement.
However, this strategy carries considerable danger. The second Red Bull seat has effectively become a revolving door in recent years, with several promising drivers—including Gasly and Albon—struggling to cope with the enormous pressure of partnering Verstappen.
Conversely, Lindblad could be placed at Racing Bulls, where expectations are lower and development time is more realistic. This would mirror the traditional Red Bull junior system: learn at the sister team, graduate to the main squad.
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The Hadjar–Lawson Problem
Complicating the situation is the current Racing Bulls pairing of Hadjar and Lawson, which has been one of the most stable and productive partnerships Red Bull has had in years. Hadjar has even taken a podium—the only Red Bull-affiliated driver besides Verstappen to do so in 2025.
Promoting Hadjar to the main team right now might be premature, potentially derailing a very promising career. Keeping him where he is may be the wiser long-term option.
But if Lindblad is being fast-tracked into F1, one Racing Bulls driver must go. Lawson has been seen as expendable, but Tsunoda is the name most frequently linked to being dropped. His inconsistent form and failure to outperform either Lindblad or Hadjar in key sessions have significantly weakened his position.
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A High-Risk Bet on a Rising Star
Ultimately, everything points to one inevitable conclusion: Red Bull has already decided to promote Lindblad. Whether he joins Racing Bulls or leaps directly into Verstappen’s team, the fact remains that he has no seat elsewhere and is clearly being positioned for an F1 debut.
The gamble, however, is enormous. If Racing Bulls or Red Bull commits fully to Lindblad and it backfires, the young Brit could find himself without any racing programme in 2026. But if it succeeds, Red Bull may be about to unveil the next superstar of their talent pipeline.
