Red Bull Racing have announced that Isack Hadjar will drive for the team in 2026, with the French driver partnering Max Verstappen.

The 21-year-old will replace Yuki Tsunoda in the Milton Keynes-based Red Bull team’s driver line-up after the end of the 2025 season, with the promotion coming after a single season driving for Red Bull’s junior team Racing Bulls.

Tsunoda will spend 2026 as Red Bull’s test and reserve driver, with Red Bull’s second team Racing Bulls confirming that they will have a new line-up of existing driver Liam Lawson and teenage rookie Arvid Lindblad, with the 18-year-old British driver set to compete in F1 for the first time next year.

The shake-up comes after a difficult time for Tsunoda in Red Bull’s second seat. The Japanese driver replaced Lawson as Verstappen’s teammate after the first two rounds of the season, but has only scored 30 points compared to teammate Verstappen’s 360 in the same period.

Hadjar’s promotion comes ahead of a new era in F1 in 2026, with the sport facing major upheaval through a change to the sport’s technical regulations that include changes to the car engine and aero designs. Red Bull will be one of the teams making a big change, with the team using their own bespoke Red Bull Powertrains in collaboration with Ford after the end of their relationship with Honda.

With one round remaining of the 2025 F1 season, Hadjar currently sits 10th in F1’s Driver’s Championship in his rookie season after scoring 51 points. He has also taken his first F1 podium, which he achieved after finishing third in the Dutch Grand Prix in the first race after F1’s summer break.

In a statement, Hadjar said, “I’m so grateful to Oracle Red Bull Racing for giving me the opportunity and trust to race at the highest level of Formula One. After all the hard work I have put in since joining the Junior Team, it’s such a great reward. I’ve had many ups and downs throughout my career, and they kept believing and pushing me.

“This year with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls has been absolutely amazing, I’ve learnt a lot and secured a maiden podium. I feel I’m much better as a racing driver and a person, due to the Team‘s support and preparation. I feel ready to go to Oracle Red Bull Racing and I am happy and proud they feel the same. It’s an awesome move, to work with the best and learn from Max is something I can’t wait for.”

Red Bull Team Principal and CEO Laurent Mekies said he was looking forward to working with Hadjar in 2026, having previously worked with him in his role with Racing Bulls before taking over at Red Bull in July.

He said, “In his first F1 season, he has displayed great maturity and proved to be a quick learner. Most importantly, he has demonstrated the raw speed that is the number one requirement in this sport. We believe Isack can thrive alongside Max and produce the magic on track! 2026 will be a huge challenge for the Team and for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, these are exciting times, and I am looking forward to seeing what we can do together.”

Mekies also moved to praise Tsunoda for his contribution to both Red Bull teams, with the 25-year-old having driven for Red Bull’s two teams in his 5 years in Formula One.

He said, “Yuki has raced in Red Bull colours for seven years now and I have had the pleasure of working with him at both Red Bull teams. Through his five seasons so far in Formula One, Yuki has matured into a complete racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and capable of exceptional starts and excellent race craft on Sunday. Everyone in the sport would agree it is impossible not to like Yuki, his personality is infectious, and he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family. On behalf of everyone at Red Bull, I thank him for what he has contributed so far and we know he will provide invaluable support to the 2026 projects moving forwards.”

Stadium MK Group have announced plans to hold a new music festival called SMK Live at MK Dons’ home ground Stadium MK in June 2026.

SMK Live is a new event intended to bring a selection of bands and singers to Milton Keynes for an summer celebration event next summer, which the organisers describe as, “filled with iconic hits, electric performances, and an atmosphere like no other.”

No artist has been officially confirmed yet, but announcements are anticipated soon.

The event will be the first concert to be held at Stadium MK since Take That performed a show at the venue in 2024. My Chemical Romance, Imagine Dragons, Rammstein and Rod Stewart are among performers to have previously held headline concerts at the stadium.

Music fans are encouraged to sign up now at smklive.com for exclusive pre-sale ticket access, and follow SMK Live on Instagram and Facebook via @smkliveuk for updates. A line-up announcement is expected soon.

In a statement to mark the announcement of the festival last week, Neil Hart, Group CEO of Stadium MK, said, “We are thrilled to launch SMK Live today. This supercharged event promises to bring a line-up like never before to Stadium MK and elevate the live music experience for audiences across Milton Keynes and beyond.

“We are pleased to be partnering and co-promoting this show with industry experts Full Fat 360 to deliver this landmark event, alongside the fantastic team at Two Suns marketing agency. With their support and skills, we are delighted to put SMK Live on the map as the go-to summer event of 2026. I extend my thanks to all our stakeholders and our internal teams for their work to date. The future is exciting – the future is SMK Live!”

Oli Bartlam, Managing Director at Full Fat 360, added, “Stadium MK already has an incredible legacy of hosting unforgettable concerts, and SMK Live is the next exciting step in that journey. Milton Keynes is a city bursting with energy and ambition, and with a world-class stadium and arena at its heart, the appetite for more live music here is undeniable. We’re genuinely thrilled to be partnering with Stadium MK to launch SMK Live and to help create a landmark music moment the region can truly be proud of. Best of all, 2026 is just the beginning.”

Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious injury road traffic collision in Milton Keynes.

The incident happened just before 4.30pm on Wednesday (26/11) last week, when a Toyota Prius and Nissan X-Trail were involved in a collision on V9 Overstreet.

The driver of the Toyota Prius, a man in his fifties, remains in hospital in a life-threatening condition. The driver of the Nissan X-Tail, a woman in her forties, sustained minor injuries and has since been discharged from hospital.

Investigating officer, PC Ricky Sims of the Roads Policing Unit, said, “Our enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of this incident, and I am appealing for any witnesses to please come forward.

“Just moments before the collision, a green or blue small hatchback car left Fairford Crescent and turned onto V9 Overstreet. We believe the driver may have vital information that could assist our investigation, and we are urging them, or anyone who saw this vehicle, to please come forward.

“We are also asking any drivers who were in the area at the time and have dashcam footage to review it, as it may contain important information about the collision or the moments leading up to it.”

Contact Thames Valley Police by calling 101 or by submitting a report via their website, quoting reference number 43250603316.

For those who prefer to remain anonymous, you can share what you know with Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website.

Red Bull’s lead driver Max Verstappen has kept up his hopes of a fifth consecutive Driver’s Championship after winning the Qatar Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s victory at the Lusail International Circuit means that he has closed the gap going into next weekend’s F1 season finale in Abu Dhabi, with the Dutchman entering the final race of the 2025 F1 season 12 points behind championship leader Lando Norris.

The Dutchman is one of three drivers who can still win the title, with Norris and his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri also viable contenders.

Meanwhile, teammate Yuki Tsunoda picked up a points finish, with the Japanese driver finishing 10th.

Red Bull remain third in the Constructor’s Championship, with the Milton Keynes-based team entering the season finale 33 points behind second-place Mercedes and 44 ahead of fourth place Ferrari.

After Verstappen had finished behind Norris at the end of Saturday’s sprint race, the Dutchman entered the full distance Qatar Grand Prix knowing that if he finished behind Norris, his title hopes would be over.

Verstappen overtook Norris to move into second place on the opening lap, with the two drivers staying in position for the first phase of the race.

The pivotal moment came on lap 7, when Pierre Gasly and Nico Hulkenberg collided as the Sauber attempted to pass the Alpine. This triggered a safety car.

F1’s tyre makers Pirelli had said pre-race that all tyres had a finite lifespan of 25 laps, meaning that pitting during the safety car would see all drivers who did so know they had to run to lap 32, and then another 25 to the end of the race.

As a result, Verstappen and Tsunoda both came into the box, with 16 of the 19 cars choosing to come in. Crucially, two of those who chose to stay out were McLaren pair Piastri and Norris, who would come in to the pits around lap 24 and 25 as previously planned.

This choice meant that Verstappen was able to put together a strategy meeting Pirelli’s tyre guidance, with the McLarens unable to catch up after making both stops at full racing speed, and Verstappen duly took the flag to win the Qatar Grand Prix for the third year in a row.

Going into the final race, Verstappen will win the championship if he wins the race and Norris fails to finish on the podium, although all manner of other permutations could see him become champion. Norris was able to pick up 2 extra points late on after taking 4th with a late overtake on Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

As for Tsunoda, the second Red Bull had been on course to finish 12th when the grid settled after the first round of pit-stops, but he was bumped up places when first Ollie Bearman’s race was ruined by a problem at Haas’ second stop, and then when Isack Hadjar suffered race-ending car damage in the final stages of the race.

The final round of the season takes place this weekend, with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix closing the 2025 season. The race will be the first time that F1 has a title deciding final race since 2021, when Verstappen won his first championship, and the first time more than two drivers enter the final race with a chance to win the championship since 2010, when Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel won in a four-way duel to take the title.