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Red Bull to Announce 2026 F1 Driver Lineups on Tuesday

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with his team after winning the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail on November 30, 2025. (AFP)
Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with his team after winning the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail on November 30, 2025. (AFP)
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Red Bull to Announce 2026 F1 Driver Lineups on Tuesday

Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with his team after winning the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail on November 30, 2025. (AFP)
Red Bull Racing's Dutch driver Max Verstappen celebrates with his team after winning the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix at the Lusail International Circuit in Lusail on November 30, 2025. (AFP)

Yuki Tsunoda looks set to lose his Red Bull race seat with the energy drink company's two Formula One teams scheduled to announce their 2026 driver line-ups on Tuesday.

French driver Isack Hadjar, who has had a strong rookie season at Racing Bulls, is expected to step up and take Tsunoda's place alongside four-time world champion Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing.

That would leave two seats at Racing Bulls to be filled, with one currently occupied by New Zealander Liam Lawson but Tsunoda and highly-rated Anglo-Swedish F2 racer Arvid Lindblad also in the running.

"We will announce on Tuesday what the driver line-up is," Red Bull principal Laurent Mekies told reporters after Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix.

"We are confident it will not disturb the focus in Abu Dhabi."

Verstappen remains in the hunt for a fifth successive world championship after winning at Lusail on Sunday night, with Tsunoda finishing 10th.

Tsunoda, whose backers Honda are leaving Red Bull for Aston Martin at the end of the season, could still have a role to play in the championship if he can get between Verstappen and his McLaren rivals.

"It is mega important...it could be down to the last point," said Mekies.

"So it will be super-important to have Yuki at 100%"

Red Bull are third in the constructors' championship already won by McLaren for the second year in a row and Tsunoda's contribution to the team's tally has been minimal compared to Verstappen's points haul.

Verstappen has won seven races and scored 396 of Red Bull's 426 points, with Tsunoda yet to finish higher than sixth this season.

Lawson drove for Red Bull in the first two races without scoring before being demoted in a swap with Tsunoda.

The Kiwi has so far scored five points more than Tsunoda, including finishing ninth on Sunday.

Hadjar was on the podium for Racing Bulls at the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August and has scored 51 points to date. Lindblad is sixth in the Formula Two standings but has impressed in practice outings after Red Bull secured an exemption for him to get a super-license while still only 17.

In Mexico City in October the now-18-year-old took Verstappen's car for first practice and was sixth fastest, best of the non-racers and quicker than Tsunoda.

"He did a very good job. It's so difficult to jump in. The pace is there, so not much to argue against that," said Mekies at the time.

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Sports

Players Would Boycott French Open Over Prize Money Dispute, Says Sabalenka

17 June 2024, Berlin: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka gives an interview on the WTA Tour in Berlin. (dpa)
17 June 2024, Berlin: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka gives an interview on the WTA Tour in Berlin. (dpa)
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Players Would Boycott French Open Over Prize Money Dispute, Says Sabalenka

17 June 2024, Berlin: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka gives an interview on the WTA Tour in Berlin. (dpa)
17 June 2024, Berlin: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka gives an interview on the WTA Tour in Berlin. (dpa)

Players would boycott the French Open if their prize money at the claycourt Grand Slam's is not increased, women's world number one Aryna Sabalenka said on Tuesday.

The Belarusian's threat came amid a heated disagreement between players and Roland Garros organizers over prize money distribution, despite this year's tournament offering a 9.5% increase to 61.7 million euros ($72.19 million).

Several top players released a statement ‌on Monday ‌saying they were set to receive prize money ‌that ⁠would likely still ⁠be less than 15% of tournament revenue, well short of the 22% they demanded to match ATP and WTA combined 1000 events.

When asked how far players might push their demands, Sabalenka told reporters at the Italian Open: "I think at some point we will boycott it (the tournament), yeah. I feel like that's going to be the only way to ⁠fight for our rights.

"Let's see how far we ‌can get, if it's going to take ‌players for boycott... Some of the things, I feel like it's really ‌unfair to the players. I think at some point it's going ‌to get to this."

However, the world number one struck a hopeful note about ongoing negotiations.

"I just really hope that all of the negotiation that we are having, we at some point are going to get to the right ‌decision, to the conclusion that everyone will be happy with," she added.

Reuters has contacted the French ⁠Tennis Federation for ⁠comment.

The prize money boost of 5.4 million euros compared to 2025 still leaves Roland Garros trailing its Grand Slam rivals.

The US Open offered $90 million last year while Wimbledon paid out 53.5 million pounds ($72.51 million) and the Australian Open a record A$111.5 million ($80.06 million) this year.

Sabalenka said the players deserved more prize money.

"When you see the number and you see the amount the players are receiving... I feel like the show is on us. I feel like without us there wouldn't be a tournament and there wouldn't be that entertainment," Sabalenka added.

"I feel like definitely we deserve to be paid more percentage. What can I say?"

Sports

Arsenal Keen to End 20-Year Wait for Champions League Final When It Hosts Atletico Madrid

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)
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Arsenal Keen to End 20-Year Wait for Champions League Final When It Hosts Atletico Madrid

Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)
Arsenal's Spanish manager Mikel Arteta attends a press conference at the Emirates Stadium in London on May 4, 2026, on the eve of their UEFA Champions League league semifinal, second-leg football match against Atletico Madrid. (AFP)

Arsenal has waited 20 years to get back into another Champions League final, and 22 years for another Premier League title.

Now both are within reach, starting with the second leg of their semifinal at home against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

The first leg ended 1-1 in Madrid last week after offsetting penalties for two teams looking for a first European Cup title. Arsenal will be hoping its home field advantage at Emirates Stadium makes the difference in the return.

“After 20 years to be in this position again,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said. "We are so hungry to get the game that we want (Tuesday) and go through to that final.”

Arsenal routed Atletico 4-0 at home in the league phase in October, but expect Diego Simeone's side to be a lot more solid defensively in the return to London.

“I’m going to try to tell the team to play like they did in the second half (in Madrid)," Simeone said. "If it’s that easy it would be great. We have a lot of faith in what we’re doing.”

Both teams have been boosted by injury returns as forward Julian Alvarez is expected to play for Atletico and Arteta said captain Martin Odegaard and forward Kai Havertz are both available.

Atletico reached the final twice under Simeone, in 2014 and 2016, losing both times to crosstown rival Real Madrid.

Arsenal lost its only final in 2006 to Barcelona. This time, defending champion Paris Saint-Germain or Bayern Munich will await the winner. Those two play their second leg on Wednesday after a pulsating 5-4 win for PSG in the first leg.

Arsenal's quest for a first Premier League title was also boosted on Monday by Manchester City drawing at Everton 3-3, meaning the Gunners can clinch the trophy by winning their last three games.

Atletico is only fourth in La Liga, 25 points behind leader Barcelona.

Sports

A Coaching Great? Luis Enrique Has PSG on Brink of Another Champions League Final

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
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A Coaching Great? Luis Enrique Has PSG on Brink of Another Champions League Final

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique during the French League One soccer match between Paris Saint-Germain and Lorient in Paris, France, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP)

Luis Enrique will join a select group of coaching greats if he leads Paris Saint-Germain to Champions League glory again this season, and it is his remarkable management that has the French club tantalizingly close to reaching the final once again.

PSG head to Munich for the second leg of their semi-final against Bayern on Wednesday defending a 5-4 lead from an incredible first meeting which was one of the greatest matches in the competition's history.

"It was the best game I have been fortunate enough to be involved in as a coach," Luis Enrique said after that encounter at the Parc des Princes.

He nevertheless believes his side will need to score another three goals at the Allianz Arena in order to see off the German champions and secure a place in the May 30 final in Budapest.

But he and his side need not look too far back for inspiration -- their last visit to Munich ended in PSG hammering Inter Milan 5-0 in last season's final as they won the Champions League for the first time in their history.

Maybe, after all he has achieved in his career, Luis Enrique could have simply walked away following that triumph, his job done. But his motivation has remained intact this season.

"Last season we achieved the objective that everyone around us had been dreaming of. But we want to continue making history and that now means winning two Champions Leagues in a row," said the Spaniard on the eve of this campaign.

He has now taken PSG to the Champions League semi-finals for the third time in as many seasons since being appointed in 2023.

Thanks to him, PSG have moved on in spectacular fashion from the era of Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, Neymar, and of regular European disappointments.

To put their consistency under Luis Enrique into more context: before his arrival, PSG had reached the Champions League semi-finals three times in their history.

His success seems to come down to that motivation, and an intensity of personality which comes across in the way his team plays -- high energy, incessant pressing, terrifying pace.

"He is the most positive person I have met in my life. He is always motivated and always in a good mood. We all learn from him and his way of seeing things," said PSG's Qatari president Nasser al-Khelaifi.

- Intensity -

His side also stand on the verge of another Ligue 1 title -- albeit their financial advantage over the rest of France's clubs makes that far less remarkable.

Luis Enrique turns 56 on Friday, but that intensity also comes across in how he lives his life.

This is a man who has competed in triathlons and run several marathons -- once going under the three-hour mark in Florence. Sometimes seen walking around the training ground barefoot, in September he fractured a collarbone after falling off his bike.

He was quickly over that injury and fully focused on PSG. So much so that the man who played in three World Cups and coached Spain in Qatar in 2022, is apparently not remotely interested in the approaching tournament in North America.

"I am the coach of PSG. I don't care about anything else. I'm not interested," he said recently in response to one World Cup-related question.

The former Real Madrid and Barcelona midfielder really made his name as a coach when he led the Catalans, featuring Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez, to a treble of Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey in 2015.

This season his squad management has been remarkable, albeit undoubtedly helped by that margin PSG have in Ligue 1.

Captain Marquinhos, for example, has started more games in Europe than in Ligue 1. Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele has started just nine times in Ligue 1, as many as in the Champions League.

Meanwhile, the devastating Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has been arguably the best player in this season's Champions League.

Up to now it has been a triumph of management, but the biggest test awaits in Munich on Wednesday.

If PSG can see off a brilliant Bayern team, Luis Enrique will be a step closer to becoming just the fifth coach to win three European Cups or Champions Leagues, after Carlo Ancelotti, Bob Paisley, Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola.