Which F1 team did Red Bull Racing have a deal with to replace Max Verstappen?

Helmut Marko revealed that Red Bull Racing had an agreement with another Formula 1 team. Red Bull had to prepare for the possibility of Max Verstappen being suspended. For this reason, Ayumu Iwasa and Arvid Lindblad were considered as replacements, but both presented their own challenges.

In Lindblad’s case, the problem was that until recently he didn’t have a super license. The early application for the seventeen-year-old driver had to be approved by the FIA. This approval has now come through, making Lindblad eligible to serve as a reserve driver for Red Bull Racing or their junior team, Red Bull Racing Bulls.

Red Bull previously stated that a Racing Bulls driver would be promoted to the main Red Bull team, with Ayumu Iwasa stepping in at Racing Bulls. This kept Arvid Lindblad out of the spotlight. However, Marko has since abandoned that plan.

Still, Red Bull faced an issue with Iwasa being their only reserve driver holding a super license. The Japanese driver also competes in Super Formula in Japan. According to Marko, Red Bull had an arrangement with another Formula 1 team to use their reserve driver if needed.

This plan covered three Grands Prix: Saudi Arabia, Imola, and Las Vegas — the only races on the calendar that overlap with Formula 1 events. For those weekends, Red Bull needed a backup until Arvid Lindblad’s super license was confirmed.

Ferrari and Mercedes both have reserve drivers. Valtteri Bottas can substitute for Mercedes, and Ferrari has the luxury of two reserves, Guanyu Zhou and Antonio Giovinazzi. Both teams denied having any agreement with Red Bull Racing, which makes sense given their rivalry. Additionally, Helmut Marko has publicly criticized Bottas multiple times.

This leaves Alpine and Aston Martin as more likely partners for a collaboration with Red Bull Racing. Christian Horner maintains a good relationship with Flavio Briatore, and Alpine currently has three reserve drivers under contract: Jack Doohan (initially Franco Colapinto), Kush Maini, and Paul Aron. Alpine, however, denied to GPblog  that they had any deal with Red Bull.

Aston Martin, with Stoffel Vandoorne and Felipe Drugovich, also has two reserve drivers. The team denies having any formal agreement with Red Bull Racing, although GPblog  has learned that Aston Martin would always be willing to assist another team in an emergency.

Red Bull had few other options. McLaren is a direct competitor and their driver, Pato O’Ward, has many commitments in IndyCar. Haas has Ryo Hirakawa, an experienced reserve driver, but whether Red Bull would consider him a suitable replacement remains uncertain.

Although Marko referred to a “deal” in the interview, it may have been just a verbal understanding with another team—such as Aston Martin, who likely would have been willing to help Red Bull if needed. GPblog reached out to Red Bull Racing for comment, but none has been provided so far.

Red Bull no longer requires outside assistance. Ayumu Iwasa can fill in at Racing Bulls for every race except the Las Vegas Grand Prix. With Arvid Lindblad, Red Bull now has a second driver holding a super license. Moreover, Lindblad is set to make his Formula 1 debut during FP1 at Silverstone.