The second seat at Red Bull has been a struggle for multiple Formula 1 seasons now, despite Max Verstappen's dominance. First it was Sergio Perez, then it was Liam Lawson, and now it is Yuki Tsunoda. At the moment, it seems that Isack Hadjar is next in the pecking order for a "promotion" to the main team.
Christian Horner set the structure at Red Bull, and as team principal, he tended to have quite a bit of power compared to some other teams' team principals. However, at Red Bull, Helmut Marko is also a powerful figure within the team, and like Horner before his firing, has been in his role since the team's inception in 2005.
As the end of the summer break inches closer and we head into the final 10 races of the 2025 season, Red Bull will be looking to determine who would be best suited to pair with Verstappen, given the fact that he is set to stay in 2026. Looking forward to how things may play out, we may see a battle play out between two key figures at Red Bull.
Laurent Mekies vs. Helmut Marko
It appears the new team principal and longtime advisor have differing opinions on who deserves the second seat next season. Mekies appears to be backing Tsunoda, while Marko figures to opt for Hadjar, despite what he said about the French driver after his debut race weekend.
As a result, there is potential for things to go wrong and result in another intra-team implosion, as Marko may use his experience and tenure in an overbearing way to control the situation. The resulting tension could contribute to the already unbalanced dynamic within Red Bull after several key departures over the last two seasons.
Some believe Mekies was promoted to team principal as a placeholder for the time being until a better candidate becomes available. As for Marko, his departure may also come fairly soon as the Austrian is considering retirement. Perhaps losing out on his desire may push him out sooner.
Nevertheless, Red Bull remain in a rather vulnerable state. Losing another key figure heading into a regulation change can cause lasting harm; we've it even without a new regulation change in 2024 and 2025. While fans may see it as Tsunoda vs. Hadjar in a fight for the final seat, similar to the Tsunoda vs. Lawson battle, the politics behind it can turn out to be a lot deeper and more impactful.