BAKU: Isack Hadjar downplayed rumors that he is set to replace Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen in 2026, saying “I didn’t sign anything.”
Tsunoda has struggled to consistently generate points since being promoted to the main team ahead of the third race of the season, and enters this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix with just 12 . Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Hadjar has recovered from a crash in his first race in Australia to produce 38 points for the junior team.
With Tsunoda currently 19th place in the driver’s standings and Hadjar in ninth, speculation has been rampant that the young Frenchman is set to be Red Bull’s next attempt to find a consistent points producer alongside Verstappen.
Telling reporters this week that he “couldn’t care less” about the rumors, Hadjar added, “I think it’s very funny.
Because I didn’t sign anything.”
Liam Lawson lasted just two races into the season before being replaced by Tsunod, and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, who replaced the ousted Christian Horner, said recently that there will not be another midseason change in the second Red Bull seat.
While no official announcement has been made yet, Hadjar acknowledged that earning a seat with the main team has been his goal since signing with the Red Bull Junior team.
“I think it is quite clear,” he said. “It (driver decisions) has always been decided, at least for me, at the very end of the season.
I think it makes sense, because there are eight races to go, so I need to keep pushing.”
Tsunoda is the third driver to struggle to effectively race the notoriously difficult to drive Red Bull car, following Lawson and Sergio Perez, who parted ways with the team over the offseason. Lawson, who got only
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