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Lewis Hamilton has addressed Yuki Tsunoda’s demotion from Red Bull ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The seven-time champion showed support for the Japanese driver while warning that the senior team needed to fix the environment that has cycled through multiple drivers in less than a decade.
Isack Hadjar will race alongside Max Verstappen next season, ending a year of speculation over Red Bull’s final open seat. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will represent Racing Bulls, while Yuki Tsunoda shifts into a dual reserve role after a season of inconsistent form. Tsunoda’s slide through the middle of the year left Red Bull weighing other options. Hadjar’s rise made the decision clearer as the year progressed.
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Lewis Hamilton, however, pointed to Red Bull’s long record of rapid driver turnover. Daniil Kvyat, Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, and Alexander Albon all moved out of the senior seat in quick succession. After Sergio Perez’s exit, Tsunoda and Lawson rotated through the year. Hamilton raised concerns about that pattern for any young driver stepping into that environment.
Speaking in Thursday’s media session at Yas Marina, he said:
“We all know what happens when people go to Red Bull and the environment that you’re thrown into... looking from the outside it’s obviously quite difficult. And where he is (Racing Bulls), it seems like a really good environment... Yuki is an amazing driver. Every driver that goes there has this general experience, but it doesn’t mean those drivers aren’t great. It’s clearly something else. I just hope that there are changes made.”
The discussion comes at a time when Lewis Hamilton closes out a difficult first year at Ferrari and prepares for 2026.
Lewis Hamilton heaps praise on Red Bull's Isack Hadjar: "He's done a phenomenal job this year"
In the aforementioned interview, Lewis Hamilton was also asked about his greeting of Isack Hadjar in the paddock earlier in the week. The Briton replied:
“I've only found out about it today. I'm not going to lie, that it doesn’t worry me. I think he's (Isack Hadjar) done an amazing job this year. And he's still very, very young. He's still learning a lot about himself and his surroundings, but he's done a phenomenal job this year. He's got a great approach.” (2:07 onwards)
Isack Hadjar’s form has surged this year. He enters Abu Dhabi with 51 points, including a breakthrough podium at Zandvoort. Lawson has 38 points, and Tsunoda sits on 30 after struggling to match Verstappen's pace, who remains in the title fight with 396.
Hamilton, meanwhile, arrives in Abu Dhabi facing a first podium-less season of his career. Ferrari has earned seven podiums through Charles Leclerc, who sits on 230 points, as the Briton remains on 152, only two ahead of Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli. The Yas Marina Circuit has traditionally favored him, with five wins and five podiums, but the gap to the front remains clear.
