Yuki Tsunoda would find a seat outside of Formula 1
The Japanese awaits Red Bull’s decision on his continuity as Max Verstappen’s teammate for 2026, a possible demotion to Racing Bulls or a change of category.
The 76th season of Formula 1 is in its final stretch. There are just four races left to put the finishing touch on the World Championship, which is still looking for a drivers’ champion, a title for which Lando Norris, Oscar Piastri and Max Verstappen are fighting. Many are already looking at 2026, the year in which the release of the technical regulations will bring with it the launch of new cars and power units. At Red Bull they are on all fronts, they are fighting for the Dutchman’s fifth crown, they are working on the drivers and chassis for the next tournament and, as if that were not enough, they still need to define the driver lineup.
After dismissing Checo Pérez, with a renewed and never started contract included, the Austrians opted for Liam Lawson. The experiment with the New Zealander lasted two races, before sending him back to Racing Bull and anointing Yuki Tsunoda as Max’s partner. But it wasn’t close either. He managed to maintain his position for two reasons: the Milton Keynes team did not have many alternatives to rely on (Isack Hadjar is in his first year) and, the main reason, the Japanese is a driver for Honda, engine supplier until the end of the current year. The Japanese company convinced the team’s leaders with a significant economic boost, an invitation that was difficult to ignore.
But in 2026 Honda will no longer be with Red Bull (it will supply Aston Martin exclusively). And with Tsunoda’s results, the paths in Verstappen’s team point to lineup changes. Hadjar could go up. And Tsunoda? Although Laurent Mekies, the Frenchman who came to replace Christian Horner as director of the bulls, supports Yuki (he had him as a driver in Racing Bulls), his performances were not convincing. Mekies himself was the one who stopped the initial idea of announcing the lineup after the Mexican GP: “We are in no hurry, it will be before the end of the year,” said the French engineer, waiting for a jump in Yuki’s performance.
Tsunoda’s future in F1 is tied to continuity at Red Bull or returning to Racing Bulls. The lifeline of Aston Martin, which will be an ally of Honda, vanished when the English team announced Jak Crawford as a reserve for next year (Felipe Drugovich will be going to Formula E). So? The Japanese forged ties with IndyCar.
In the last few hours, in the world of the American category, the possibility of Tsunoda joining the ranks of Dale Coyne Racing and driving car number 19 of the squad that has engines began to sound loud… Yes, Honda. The team has already confirmed Dennis Hauger, Franco Colapinto’s former F2 teammate, as one of its drivers for next year. Next week there could be news. Yuki could follow in the footsteps of Takuma Sato, the Japanese who after passing through F1 went to the United States, raced in IndyCar and won the Indianapolis 500 twice.
