Red Bull prepares backup options with Hadjar and Lindblad as Verstappen edges close to a race ban due to penalty points.
Red Bull Racing is actively preparing a backup plan for Max Verstappen in the event of a suspension.
The Dutchman is one penalty point away from being suspended and will need to tread carefully in Canada and Austria. After that, he will only recover two points and will have to go through the summer and all the races after the break with a total of nine points. He will eventually drop to seven on October 27 and to six on November 1.
Given these circumstances, Red Bull has activated an emergency plan: requesting a Formula 1 super licence for Arvid Lindblad two months ahead of schedule. The Briton has the necessary points, but he won’t turn 18 until August 8. However, the FIA can, upon request, consider early access within the year a driver turns 17, if he is deemed deserving. This will be decided at next week’s World Motor Sport Council meeting.
Dr. Marko is confident about the outcome of this request, as the FIA made a similar age exemption for Kimi Antonelli last year.
This would give Red Bull significantly more options in case of an emergency with their number one driver. If Lindblad receives the super licence next week, it will increase Red Bull’s choices for drivers should the team need a temporary replacement for Verstappen.
If Red Bull were faced with such a situation, they would most likely choose a replacement from within their own pool of drivers.
The most logical option would be to have the impressive rookie Isack Hadjar leave Racing Bulls for a race to see what he can do in the main team.
The Frenchman has been one of the revelations of the season, regularly scoring points and currently sitting ninth in the drivers’ championship.
A promotion for Hadjar to Red Bull for a race would likely leave Racing Bulls to choose between Iwasa and Lindblad.
The team would then have to decide whether it is in Lindblad’s best interest to take part in an F1 weekend or if he should remain focused on his F2 title campaign.
Unless, with the constructors’ title already lost, Red Bull chooses to test Lindblad directly in the RB21. But that seems unlikely. It would be far more valuable for the Austrian team to see how Hadjar performs in the RB21 before deciding on the 2026 driver lineups.
While obtaining a super licence could also pave the way for Lindblad to be promoted full-time to F1 in the near future—potentially after the summer break—Red Bull does not appear to be considering any team changes before the end of the season.