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BAKU: Isack Hadjar downplayed rumors that he is set to replace Yuki Tsunoda in the second Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen in 2026, saying “I didn’t sign anything.”

Tsunoda has struggled to consistently generate points since being promoted to the main team ahead of the third race of the season, and enters this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix with just 12 . Meanwhile, the 20-year-old Hadjar has recovered from a crash in his first race in Australia to produce 38 points for the junior team.

With Tsunoda currently 19th place in the driver’s standings and Hadjar in ninth, speculation has been rampant that the young Frenchman is set to be Red Bull’s next attempt to find a consistent points producer alongside Verstappen.

Telling reporters this week that he “couldn’t care less” about the rumors, Hadjar added, “I think it’s very funny. Because I didn’t sign anything.”

Liam Lawson lasted just two races into the season before being replaced by Tsunod, and Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, who replaced the ousted Christian Horner, said recently that there will not be another midseason change in the second Red Bull seat.

While no official announcement has been made yet, Hadjar acknowledged that earning a seat with the main team has been his goal since signing with the Red Bull Junior team.

“I think it is quite clear,” he said. “It (driver decisions) has always been decided, at least for me, at the very end of the season. I think it makes sense, because there are eight races to go, so I need to keep pushing.”

Tsunoda is the third driver to struggle to effectively race the notoriously difficult to drive Red Bull car, following Lawson and Sergio Perez, who parted ways with the team over the offseason. Lawson, who got only two races before being replaced, was asked what advice he would give Hadjar should he be the next in line to be teamed with Verstappen.

“I would honestly just say ignore everything that’s being said,” Lawson said. “At the end of the day, we’re all racing drivers, we all have to have enough self-confidence to be in the sport in the first place. We don’t come here thinking that other people are better than us, otherwise we wouldn’t be here. So I think to just have faith in yourself.

“He’s done a good job this year and I think he needs to just focus on the job and focus on preparing the best he can. Not listening to everything that’s said about what it’s going to be like because, at the end of the day, nobody actually knows. Only the guys that have done it (know).”

ZURICH: Spain and Lamine Yamal took top spot from Argentina and Lionel Messi in the FIFA men’s rankings published on Thursday, and lead for the first time since being dethroned as world champion in June 2014.

Spain’s two-win start to a 2026 World Cup qualifying group this month — against Turkiye and Bulgaria — lifted the European champion up from second place behind 2022 World Cup winner Argentina, which fell to third.

Argentina’s loss in a World Cup qualifier in Ecuador also let France rise one place to No. 2.

England stayed at No. 4, and Portugal climbed one place to No. 5 in a swap with Brazil, which lost a game at Bolivia.

Morocco at No. 11 were the best of the African nations and Japan led Asia at No. 19. Both have already qualified for the World Cup.

Mexico and the United States were Nos. 14 and 16 respectively as the World Cup co-hosts both fell one place. Canada, the third co-host next year, rose two to No. 26.

The rankings are updated in October and again in November when the standings are more significant.

The November rankings should decide seedings for the 48-team World Cup tournament draw being held on Dec. 5 in Washington, plus draws for playoffs in Europe and the intercontinental brackets. Those games are scheduled in March.

The World Cup draw will have 42 confirmed entries and six placeholders for the eventual playoff winners. Those placeholders all must come from the lowest-ranked teams in seeding pot 4 and could include Italy.