Lawson Secures 2026 Racing Bulls Seat as Tsunoda Loses F1 Drive
Red Bull has shaken things up for 2026, confirming that Liam Lawson will stay put at Racing Bulls while Yuki Tsunoda will lose his Formula 1 seat.
The move comes as part of a major driver reshuffle across both Red Bull teams.
Lawson will be joined by F2 driver Arvid Lindblad at Racing Bulls, while Isack Hadjar has been tapped to replace Tsunoda.
Tsunoda won’t disappear completely from the Red Bull family. He’ll take on test and reserve driver duties for 2026 and serve as Racing Bull’s backup when Ayu Iwasa isn’t available.
Hadjar’s promotion makes sense when you look at the numbers. He currently sits tenth in the standings with 51 points—18 more than Tsunoda, despite driving what’s considered a less competitive car.
Ever since the mid-season switch that saw Tsunoda moved up to Red Bull and Lawson sent to Racing Bulls, the Japanese driver has struggled to make his case for keeping a seat.
Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal, had kind words for the outgoing driver.
“Yuki has raced in Red Bull colours for seven years now and I have had the pleasure of working with him at both Red Bull teams,” Mekies said. “Through his five seasons so far in Formula One, Yuki has matured into a complete racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and capable of exceptional starts and excellent race craft on Sunday.”
“Everyone in the sport would agree it’s impossible not to like Yuki, his personality is infectious, and he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family.”
Lawson seems excited about the opportunity to continue with the team during a pivotal year for the sport.
“I’m really looking forward to racing with VCARB in 2026. It’s an opportunity I’ll continue to be grateful for as we enter a year of change in F1,” Lawson said. “I’m ready to get to work with the team as we prepare for the challenging season ahead.”
The Numbers Tell the Story
With just one race left this season, Lawson sits 14th in the Drivers’ standings with 38 points, narrowly leading Tsunoda who’s 15th with 33 points.
Lawson has reached higher heights too, scoring a P5 finish in Baku. Coincidentally, that’s the same race where Tsunoda achieved his own season-best finish of P6.
Since the mid-season driver swap, the comparison is clear:
Lawson has finished in the points (top 10) seven times compared to Tsunoda’s six.
The Kiwi has also been stronger in qualifying, starting in the top 10 eight times—including an impressive P3 in Baku.
Tsunoda has only managed five top-10 starts, though he did begin from P5 in Australia at the season opener when he was still with Racing Bulls.
The decision marks the end of Tsunoda’s time as a full-time F1 driver, at least for now, after what will be five seasons on the grid.
Want to keep up with all the F1 paddock drama? GPblog’s F1 Paddock Update video is the way to go. Just subscribe to GPblog’s YouTube channel and turn on notifications so you never miss an episode.
