Red Bull Shakes Up F1 Lineup: Hadjar Promoted, Lindblad Debuts in Thrilling 2026 Driver Roster

Millenium TV can exclusively report a major shake-up in Red Bull’s Formula 1 driver lineup for the 2026 season, with Frenchman Isack Hadjar earning a promotion to the senior team and 18-year-old Briton Arvid Lindblad set to make his highly anticipated debut.

Hadjar, 21, will join four-time world champion Max Verstappen at the main Red Bull squad. His impressive rookie season at Racing Bulls, which included a standout podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix, evidently cemented his position. Millenium TV has learned that Hadjar currently sits 10th in the championship standings with one grand prix remaining this season, and has notably outperformed his teammate Liam Lawson in qualifying, securing an average advantage of 0.186 seconds over 22 sessions to five.

Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, expressed confidence in Hadjar’s potential. “Isack has displayed great maturity and proved to be a quick learner,” Mekies stated. “Most importantly, he has demonstrated the raw speed that is the number one requirement in this sport. We believe Isack can thrive alongside Max and produce the magic on track.” Hadjar himself described the move as “an awesome move” and affirmed he felt “ready” for the challenge.

Meanwhile, the second team, Racing Bulls, will see a fresh face as Arvid Lindblad, a rising British star with a Swedish father and a mother of Indian descent, steps into a full-time F1 seat. Lindblad will partner New Zealander Liam Lawson, whose strong recent performances have secured his place after an earlier demotion. Lindblad’s promotion means Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda will lose his spot on the grid after five seasons.

Lindblad, who has been on Red Bull’s radar since he was 12, shared his excitement, calling it a “proud moment.” He added, “2026 will be a big challenge and I know there’s a lot to learn, but I’m ready to work closely with the team and rise to it. I can’t wait to get started.” Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko previously praised Lindblad’s “pure speed,” noting he “looks really promising.” Marko recounted a remarkable F3 race at Silverstone where Lindblad “overtook, in one lap, I don’t know, 10 or 14 other drivers” to win from the back in tricky conditions. He also highlighted Lindblad’s early maturity, recalling a meeting at age 12 where “it was Arvid who was leading the conversation… he had a clear vision and a clear way how to achieve it. And since then he moved steadily forward.”

Lindblad has already demonstrated his capabilities with two victories in F2 this year and holds sixth place in the championship ahead of the final round in Abu Dhabi. He will join fellow British drivers Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris, George Russell, Oliver Bearman, and Alex Albon (who races under the Thai flag) on the 2026 grid. Red Bull’s strategic planning over the past year included a program to ensure Lindblad secured the necessary F1 ‘superlicence’, with the young driver completing two F1 practice sessions at the British and Mexico City Grands Prix.

The restructuring leaves Yuki Tsunoda without a seat, following what has been described as a disappointing season alongside Verstappen. Despite his long-held aspirations for a main Red Bull team position, Tsunoda scored only 7% of the team’s points in the constructors’ championship and maintained an average deficit of 0.644 seconds to Verstappen, the largest margin between any teammates on the grid. He out-qualified Verstappen only once in a sprint race in Qatar.

Separately, Irish driver Alex Dunne is confirmed not to be part of Red Bull’s future plans, despite initial interest. Dunne will continue in F2 next season and is reportedly in discussions with Alpine regarding their driver development program.