Red Bull handed 'incoming issue' warning as young talents shine

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has warned Red Bull that it faces a potential "incoming issue" with so much young talent performing at the same time.

Red Bull's sister outfit, Racing Bulls, has enjoyed a strong 2026 campaign so far with Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad, who have often been separated by next to nothing.

That has resulted in the duo almost clashing on multiple occasions, including in the Belgian Grand Prix, where Lawson was forced off the circuit.

Nevertheless, it has proven to be the strongest midfield driver pairing so far, with both drivers strengthening their case for a future seat at Red Bull. What makes the situation even more difficult is Isack Hadjar's excellent form, while Max Verstappen remains the team's star driver.

Making the situation even more complicated is Red Bull junior Nikola Tsolov leading the Formula 2 championship, with the Bulgarian looking more than deserving of a seat at Racing Bulls. The question is: who for?

Red Bull is likely to find itself with five drivers competing for four seats, a problem which, while difficult to solve, highlights the current strength of its junior programme.

Discussing Racing Bulls' performance in Belgium, Coulthard said on the Up to Speed podcast: "Yeah, very strong performance. Good battling wheel to wheel between the two team-mates.

"Maybe it got a bit tense between them at a certain moment, but their job within RB is to shine, to shine bright. Because RB, I think, are doing a great job. 

"Certainly exactly the sort of job that would be expected of them by the parent company, in that they are independently fast and they're developing their young drivers to put them in that sort of spotlight of, 'We could be in the main team in the future.'

"It will potentially lead to a problem, of course, because you've got Tsolov in Formula 2 doing a brilliant job leading that championship and looking like he absolutely deserves a shot at Formula 1. I've got a soft spot for his approach to racing. 

"He's just so raw and having a go, and all of the things you like to see in a young racer. So there might be an incoming issue for RB, or certainly for Red Bull as a whole. How do you get five drivers into four seats? But it's a good problem to have."