Oracle Red Bull driver Max Verstappen steps out of his car after qualifying first for the sprint race during the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on Friday, Oct. 18, 2024.

formula-1

Who Could replace Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing if He Leaves for Mercedes Next Season?

Which driver will find himself racing for the Austrian outfit next season

Max Verstappen might end up leaving Red Bull Racing after the end of the 2025 season. He is linked with a move to Mercedes F1 under the leadership of Toto Wolff after 2025. Max Verstappen started his journey with Red Bull Racing. He won four championships with the team from 2021-2024. The team’s performance has considerably dropped in the 2025 season. Verstappen is lagging behind in the driver’s title in the 2025 season.

Red Bull are going through multiple issues in 2025. Their car’s performance is not upto the mark. Verstappen is clearly performing alone for the entire team for the last two years. These are some of the reasons which increase the risk of Verstappen defecting to another team. The team also ended up firing Christian Horner in a desperate bid to try and keep the Dutchman with themselves for another season.

Possible Replacements for Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in 2026

Red Bull Racing heavily rely on Max Verstappen for their campaign. He has been bringing in brilliant results in spite of the multiple errors from the team. On the other hand, his teammates are merely for show as they do not even have consistent point finishes. The Bulls will never be able to replace Verstappen in the true sense.

However, they have some considerable options available for the next season to partner alongside Yuki Tsunoda (if they do not fire him too). These include drivers from their junior team and the current Racing Bulls roster-

1. Isack Hadjar – Racing Bulls Rookie 2025

👏👏 @Isack_Hadjar

That's the best qualifying result by a Racing Bulls driver in Shanghai for 12 years 💪#F1 #ChineseGP pic.twitter.com/44M66UsWNN
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 22, 2025

Isack Hadjar is undoubtedly the top choice for Red Bull Racing in the upcoming season. The 2025 Formula 1 rookie for the Racing Bulls has been bringing in consistent point finishes and top-10 starts in qualifying.

Hadjar is performing considerably better than his peers at the main/sister team in the 2025 championship. Hadjar was not confident about joining the main team but when the time comes, he might have no choice but to substitute Max Verstappen.

2. Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls

Looking cool under the Spanish sun, @LiamLawson30 😎

…And we see you, @Isack_Hadjar! 😅📸#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/fJgK56bYym
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 30, 2025

Liam Lawson may find himself back in his old seat in 2025. The Kiwi is currently driving for the Racing Bulls after his demotion from Red Bull Racing. Initially, Lawson’s performance had a huge shunt which led to him falling bad behind.

However, for the last few races he has been staging a comeback and bringing in some good results versus his teammate. Liam Lawson is the next best choice for The Bulls if they do not want to put their rookie- Hadjar, under pressure.

3. Arvid Lindblad – Red Bull Junior Team Formula 2

WHAT. A. MOMENT. 📸

Arvid Lindblad made his @F1 FP1 debut earlier with @redbullracing! 👏🇬🇧#F2 #BritishGP #RoadToF1 pic.twitter.com/54MhHpBNvE
— Formula 2 (@Formula2) July 4, 2025

Formula 1’s latest Super license holder Arvid Lindblad is also on Red Bull Racing’s radar for the upcoming season. He is undergoing rigorous testing as a part of the junior driver program alongside Ayumu Iwasa. Arvid Lindblad’s talent caught the eye of Red Bull Racing.

If one or more Red Bull Racing drivers end up leaving the team in 2025, Lindblad will undoubtedly end up with a seat next season. If not in the main team, he can find himself racing for the sister team- Racing Bulls.

4. George Russell – Mercedes Driver Swap

George Russell is our fourth winner so far this season 🤩#F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/AB7ugrWZkK
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 16, 2025

George Russell is the driver with the best odds for claiming a seat at Red Bull Racing out of the other drivers on the current grid. The Mercedes driver is in direct contention with Max Verstappen for a contract with Mercedes. Russell has confirmed that there are talks with other teams but there is no hint about Red Bull Racing.

If Red Bull Racing opt to go with another driver for the 2026 season out side their team/ junior programmes, George Russell will be their first choice. Russell is undoubtedly among the top drivers of the 2025 season. He has one win and multiple podiums under his belt in 2025.

The permutations and combinations for driver lineups have already started in the community. After Cadillac F1, Red Bull is the next hot topics in the driver market.

Formula 1

Formula 1 2025 Season

Formula 1 2026

Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing

Rohan Singh

nhl

I work as a Writer at The Playoffs specialising in NHL, Formula 1 and Motorsports. I got into online journalism a couple of years ago. I used to be an intern for a website managing their Formula 1 content and then I served an entire year as a contractual writer.