"As the new Red Bull Racing upper management remains unwilling to hire a priest to exorcise whatever has been haunting the team's second seat since Daniel Ricciardo departed in 2018 (not dead; simply living his best post-racing life, noticeably bearded and dirt-biking), reasonable roster decisions will have to suffice instead. On Tuesday, Red Bull officially announced that Isack Hadjar will replace Yuki Tsunoda at the factory team for 2026, and 18-year-old phenom Arvid Lindblad will fill Hadjar's spot at Red Bull's sister team, VCARB."
"Bar an exorcist, Hadjar is the ideal choice for Red Bull, and most importantly, his promotion comes at the ideal time. Despite having the most brutal start to a rookie season possible-he crashed his car during the formation lap of a wet Australian Grand Prix-Hadjar recovered quickly in 2025 and was, for a stretch of the season, so impressive that the sword of mid-season promotion briefly hovered over him."
"There is always pressure intrinsic to being Max Verstappen's teammate, but the first year with new regulations is the most forgiving on a team's new driver, as previously demonstrated with George Russell's promotion to Mercedes. As he is not being hastily promoted in the middle of season, Hadjar will have a full year with the team, including crucial test drives,"
Red Bull promoted Isack Hadjar to the factory team for 2026, with 18-year-old Arvid Lindblad stepping into Hadjar's VCARB seat. Hadjar endured a brutal rookie start but rebounded in 2025, demonstrating enough pace to draw mid-season promotion interest. Red Bull chose to delay promotion until the offseason so Hadjar can spend a full year at VCARB under current aero regulations and benefit from tests and a less demanding car. The first year under new regulations offers a forgiving environment for a new teammate to Max Verstappen. Lindblad's F2 performance has been middling, but youth and experience remain influential factors.
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