Red Bull are yet to confirm who will be Max Verstappen's teammate for the 2026 season, but reports are circulating that Isack Hadjar has been chosen for the role.
According to Dutch newspaper, Auto Motor und Sport, it's an "open secret" that the 20-year-old rookie will be moving up from sister team, Racing Bulls.
The French-Algerian driver has had a good run of results in his debut Formula 1 season.
He's currently 9th in the championship standings with 38 points and secured his maiden podium with a third place finish in Zandvoort.
Comparing his performance to Yuki Tsunoda, who currently resides in the second Red Bull seat, there's a stark difference.
The Japanese driver's season has been less than impressive - he's just 19th in standings with only 12 points.
So discussion around whether he will continue in the senior team has been ongoing since he replaced Liam Lawson early this year.
It's fair to say that after Verstappen, Hadjar is the Red Bull driver with the most potential based solely on performance.
But what fans now worry about is whether it's too soon to put the rookie in a seat next to the four-times champion.
Red Bull is a team known for it's cutthroat nature, always expecting results, and that could be risky for Hadjar.
However there could be hope of a difference with big changes in the team - notably Christian Horner's sacking and Laurent Mekies' takeover as boss.
Will Tsunoda return to Racing Bulls, or will there be a new face?
So with it looking more likely than not that Hadjar will be promoted to Red Bull, the question now is - what happens to Tsunoda?
Will be he demoted back to Racing Bulls or will we see a new driver at the sister team?
17 year old Arvid Lindblad could be an option.
The British-Swedish driver was granted his super license prior to his 18th birthday in August, at a special request made by Red Bull.
This was the same process Kimi Antonelli went through with Mercedes - which saw him eventually signed for the 2025 season.
Lindblad is currently participating in Formula 2 and made his debut for Red Bull in the top division during free practice 1 at Silverstone in July.
So it's clear he could be an option for Racing Bulls, but would leave Tsunoda at risk.
However, there are still seats available across the team
Alpine are yet to confirm who will drive with Pierre Gasly, both Mercedes seats remain free and Racing Bulls have not signed a driver either.
The Japanese driver then could secure his seat again there and be alongside Lawson. But would the team prefer a new fresh rookie?
It all hangs in the balance.
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