Max Verstappen Red Bull team-mate option thrown fresh support

Max Verstappen should be partnered at Red Bull by Isack Hadjar, according to former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. That is already quickly becoming the prevailing opinion inside and out the F1 paddock, with Yuki Tsunoda still failing to make the grade at the Milton Keynes squad. The Japanese driver replaced the disappointing Liam Lawson after just two rounds this season, but has also underwhelmed alongside the four-time F1 drivers' champion. Conversely, Hadjar has impressed at Racing Bulls throughout the campaign. Despite it being the French driver's rookie year in F1, he has amassed 21 points from the opening 10 rounds, as well as thus far avoiding being eliminated from Q1 in qualifying. His points haul is also 50 percent higher than Tsunoda and Lawson's combined, emphasising how difficult the RB21 is to get to grips with - and the challenge of adapting back to life at Racing Bulls for the latter. It has increased the pressure on the former, who is out of contract at the end of the year, with it looking increasingly likely he will not be retained by Red Bull. That difficult reality has caused many to argue Hadjar should not be promoted to the main team too soon, for risk of stifling his development and ruining his confidence. Despite the Christian Horner-led outfit maintaining there will be no unforced driver changes for the rest of the season, it has been speculated Hadjar could be elevated to the seat alongside Verstappen at some point this term. Given how Red Bull pool their driver contracts with Racing Bulls, it is something the 20-year-old could have little say over, as pointed out by Montoya. "What happens is that there's no choice there," the seven-time grand prix winner said on the MontoyAS podcast on W Radio Colombia. "If Helmut decides he wants Isack Hadjar at Red Bull, Hadjar will drive for Red Bull, whether Hadjar wants to drive the Red Bull or not. "And the person who really should be there is Hadjar. Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly tried Hadjar for a few races this year, you know? "That could be it... let's try it for a few races to see if the result changes, to see if we have to look at the internal decision, and that's it." Tsunoda's precarious situation If Verstappen finds himself banned for a round, which is a very present risk at the Austrian Grand Prix, Hadjar could be parachuted in to partner Tsunoda, as opposed to replace him outright. However, Montoya is unsure of the situation if Red Bull were interested in jettisoning the 25-year-old out of the seat prematurely and more permanently. He highlighted how Honda leaving for Aston Martin at the end of the year further jeopardises Tsunoda's place in the team. "I don't know what the contract with Yuki will be like," the 49-year-old former Williams and McLaren driver said. "Suddenly, if the contract with Yuki is more solid and he has to be there until the end of the year. "The problem [for Tsunoda] is that Honda won't be there [at Red Bull] next year. So, we'll see, it's very complicated."