Red Bull ‘not in a rush’ over 2026 line-up as Mekies vows to ‘support’ Tsunoda

Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies has declared he will support Yuki Tsunoda through his on-track struggles, while revealing the team is in “no rush” to finalise its 2026 line-up.

Tsunoda has found the going tough since his promotion from Racing Bulls to Red Bull two weekends into the season – with Liam Lawson heading in the opposite direction – with Tsunoda having failed to score points in the seven races leading up to the Dutch Grand Prix, where he managed to claim P9 to end that streak.

Amid growing speculation that the Isack Hadjar – who scored his maiden podium in Zandvoort – could replace the Japanese driver at Red Bull for 2026, Mekies was asked by Sky Sports F1 what the minimum he needed to see from Tsunoda was to avoid a swap.

“We don’t think speed can disappear,” Mekies said. “Yuki did a very good end of last year, and a very good first part of the season [with Racing Bulls].

“Of course, he has been having a rough time in the first part of the season with this team, but we take it race by race. It was a step forward in Spa. Budapest, it being our worst weekend, he was still very close in terms of pace to Max. He was a tenth and a half away from Max in Qualifying.

“Normally, if you are a tenth and a half away from Max, it is going to give you a front row. But in Budapest, it meant being kicked out in Q1. He is progressing step by step.”

On the topic of Red Bull’s 2026 line-up, Mekies added: “We are not in a rush... We try to do the best we can to support our drivers, and we certainly see some refreshed approach with Yuki and we try to support his progress.”

Much has been made of the relative drivability of the Red Bull and Racing Bulls cars, with Lawson and Tsunoda both struggling to score points in the Red Bull, while achieving their best results in the sister team.

Asked what changes Red Bull could make to get Tsunoda more comfortable with the RB21, Mekies said: “Pure development for this team, as with most teams, is now focused on 2026. However, it is key that we use these... remaining races to learn what we can on why this season hasn’t gone the way it was supposed to go.

“Especially when you are in a situation where you are not where you want to be, there are many things that you can use the race weekends to try and experiment with, and that applies to the team, that applies to the drivers, and that is the work that we are doing with both.”