Red Bull set to replace Tsunoda with Hadjar, apologise for criticism after driver Antonelli receives death threats

Red Bull will be replacing Yuki Tsunoda with Isack Hadjar, according to a report from RacingNews365 on Monday.

In related news, sister squad Racing Bulls will bring back Liam Lawson while promoting rookie Arvid Lindblad.

Tsunoda has struggled this season, currently ranking 15th in the standings, in sharp contrast to teammate Max Verstappen, who’s seeking his fifth straight championship this season.

“I’ve done what I could do,” Tsunoda said recently. “Especially the last four races, the team gave me a lot of support and able to drive with (an) almost identical car to Max.”

Tsunoda follows a line of racers who have struggled to succeed alongside Verstappen, among them Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez.

Meanwhile, the Red Bull Formula One team on Monday said it sincerely regretted suggesting Kimi Antonelli had handed McLaren’s Lando Norris fourth place in Qatar after the rookie received death threats. With Red Bull’s defending champion Max Verstappen leading, Norris was stuck behind Antonelli’s Mercedes. When the teenager ran wide on a corner on the penultimate lap, the Briton zoomed past to grab fourth and two extra points.

“Not sure what happened to Antonelli Max, looks like he just pulled over and let Norris through,” Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase, Verstappen’s race engineer, immediately told his driver in a radio message which television viewers also heard.

Red Bull adviser, Helmut Marko, said later that the 19-year-old “waved” Norris past.

On Monday, Antonelli’s profile picture on his Instagram account was blacked out.

Mercedes said comments attacking Antonelli on his various social media accounts had shown a “1,100 per cent increase in the abuse we sadly usually see on a Sunday of a race weekend”.

British media reported that the team said several of the comments “were death threats” and that it had flagged 330 more “severe or suspect” comments on team social media.

McLaren use engines manufactured by Mercedes.

On Monday, Red Bull issued a statement acknowledging that “replay footage shows Antonelli momentarily losing control of his car, thus allowing Norris to pass him.

“We sincerely regret that this has led to Antonelli receiving online abuse,” it added.

Mercedes said Lambiase had apologised to team principal Toto Wolff.

“I spoke to GP,” said Wolff. “I saw him and obviously he was emotional in that moment.

“He said he didn’t see the situation.”

Norris will go into the final race in Abu Dhabi 12 points ahead of the Dutchman. If Verstappen wins, Norris can finish third and still take the title. Without the two points he would have needed to come second to be sure.

“We are fighting for second in the constructors’ championship, which is important for us,” said Wolff. “Kimi is fighting for a potential third in the race. I mean, how brainless can you be to even say something like this?

“Why would we do this? Why would we even think about interfering in a driver championship? You really need to check yourself and whether you are seeing ghosts.” Elsewhere, newly-crowned Formula Two champion Leonardo Fornaroli has joined McLaren in a test and development role, the Formula One champions announced on Tuesday.

The 20-year-old Italian clinched the title in Qatar with a round to spare last Sunday, taking four wins and five podiums to date.

He follows in the footsteps of McLaren’s F1 title contender Oscar Piastri, and the team’s former development driver Gabriel Bortoleto, who is now racing for Sauber, as drivers who won F3 and F2 titles in successive years.

Fornaroli’s Dutch Formula Two rival Richard Verschoor, third in the series, has also joined the McLaren development programme.

As well as Formula One, McLaren have a team in U.S.-based IndyCar and are entering the World Endurance Championship from 2027.

Piastri and teammate Lando Norris will be fighting Red Bull’s Max Verstappen for the F1 drivers’ title in Abu Dhabi this weekend.

Agencies