Red Bull have already changed their driver line-up once in the 2025 F1 season, but the partnership of Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda continuing in 2026 is still undecided.
The Milton Keynes outfit still have doubts about the future of their driver line-up despite the arrival of Tsunoda in March. Red Bull demoted Liam Lawson back to their junior team Racing Bulls just two rounds after the 23-year-old joined to replace Sergio Perez in their main outfit.
Tsunoda has largely shown Red Bull’s decision was justified with the 24-year-old taking nine points. The 24-year-old also got his first points of the season in his second race for Red Bull in the Bahrain Grand Prix after he even got into Q3, both feats that Lawson failed to achieve.
Yet Red Bull are growing impatient with Tsunoda, with team principal Christian Horner eager to see more from the Japanese gem. He finished last week’s Miami Grand Prix in P10 and hit the chequered flag 27.478s behind Verstappen in P4 before adding on a five-second penalty.
Doubts even persist about the four-time defending F1 drivers’ championship winner’s future in Milton Keynes. Verstappen can use a release clause in his Red Bull contract this summer if he falls outside of the top three in the rankings, with Mercedes and Aston Martin interested.
Helmut Marko ‘very impressed’ by Oscar Piastri’s ‘refreshing’ attitude to 2025 F1 title fight
Red Bull may need to explore buying a rival out of their contract to replace Verstappen were he to leave. And team principal Horner told Drive to Survive he would sign Oscar Piastri over Lando Norris if Red Bull got the chance to get either McLaren driver before the 2025 season.
READ MORE: McLaren driver Oscar Piastri’s life outside F1 from height to girlfriend
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Oscar Piastri |
131 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
115 |
| 3 |
Max Verstappen |
99 |
| 4 |
George Russell |
93 |
| 5 |
Charles Leclerc |
53 |
| 6 |
Andrea Kimi Antonelli |
48 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
41 |
Now, how Piastri has handled leading the drivers’ standings after the opening six rounds of the 2025 F1 season and his dominant win at the Miami GP last Sunday has ‘impressed’ Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko. He particularly finds Piastri’s calm style ‘refreshing’.
“I’m very impressed,” Marko told OE24. “He always stays cool and constantly puts pressure on to stay at the front. That’s refreshing. But I wouldn’t underestimate our [Racing Bulls rookie Isack] Hadjar. He missed a world championship point by just a few hundredths.”
Christian Horner would love McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at Red Bull
Piastri won the 2025 Miami GP by 4.630 seconds over Norris, while Verstappen had to settle for fourth place after Red Bull were undercut by George Russell of Mercedes for P3. The 27-year-old even took the chequered flag 39.956s behind for his biggest deficit to P1 this term.
READ MORE: Who is Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko? Everything to know
But while Horner and Marko are big admirers of Piastri, McLaren would put up a major fight if Red Bull tried to sign the 24-year-old. Piastri signed a new McLaren contract through 2030 this March, which nets him a base wage of £9m a year before bonuses reaching up to £20m.
Piastri admitted Red Bull’s interest was ‘flattering’ before signing his new long-term contract with McLaren, as well. But Horner may have to wait at least another two seasons as Piastri’s McLaren contract has a release clause for after 2027, so is likely staying put for a good while.
