It felt like Yuki Tsunoda was being put out of his misery once Red Bull announced he would not be a part of their plans – at least, in a racing capacity – in 2026. Isack Hadjar’s promotion to the main squad, Liam Lawson’s retention at Racing Bulls, and Arvid Lindblad’s promotion into F1 has pushed Tsunoda into the wilderness.
It was almost entirely expected, although it nonetheless felt as if Tsunoda was being set up to fail. Limited running with a car known to be as user-friendly as a slightly complicated space shuttle put Tsunoda on the back foot, and today’s fine margins means that a 0.3-0.4s deficit to a team-mate in title contention is often the difference between challenging for pole and elimination in Q2.
Tsunoda was right that his race pace had improved of late, but his qualifying performances left him with too much to do on Sundays – and he didn’t possess the kind of magic that Max Verstappen could muster to carve through the pack.
The issue is partly one of set-up; Tsunoda couldn’t drive the Red Bull RB21 the way it needed to be driven, and the set-up compromises needed to make it driveable deleted its biggest strengths. Square peg, round hole; Red Bull is now hoping that Hadjar can fill the void and challenge Verstappen more.
Naturally, Tsunoda was – and is – disappointed. “I’m surviving,” he remarked, in acceptance that the F1 world will continue to spin without him, but it’s nonetheless a bitter blow.
“I’m disappointed obviously and pissed off,” Tsunoda said in his first media appearance since the move was announced. “How I was told – it was right after the race, from Helmut privately, that I’m not going to race next year so I think that’s it.
Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images
“But surprisingly I’m okay… I mean not okay, but like I’m surviving okay. The day after, the morning I ordered breakfast as usual, same food. Probably I’m not recognising enough that it will be the last race for this year or at least for next year so maybe I’ll feel more after Abu Dhabi, but yeah, that’s how it went and how I feel now.”
Next year, Tsunoda will occupy a reserve role with the team. At Red Bull, Alex Albon managed to convert his demotion into a back-up role into a Williams seat in 2022, while Valtteri Bottas will do the same next year in stepping up to the new Cadillac team after a year as Mercedes’ reserve.
Tsunoda suggested that his stay on the grid might have been prolonged, but his current Red Bull contract proved to be the hair in the soup. It puts one in mind of a similar situation experienced by ex-Red Bull junior Jaime Alguersuari, who was dropped by Toro Rosso at the end of 2011 – after he declined talks with other teams on the grid having believed that he was going to stay with the team for 2012.
“Well, I didn’t have options, the thing is my contract was there so I couldn’t do much,” he revealed. “I had some interest externally but yeah, the contract didn’t really allow me to talk with them. That’s why I was fully focused on the Red Bull season; it was my priority for the last few years to be in the Red Bull family because it’s the place where I grew up as well.”
So, what’s next? Tsunoda at least has a way to keep earning a crust with his Red Bull reserve role, and potential TPC tests should ensure that he keeps his foot in the door.
This was a luxury afforded to Albon in his 2021 off-year, infamously demonstrated by his run at Silverstone days after Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton clashed at Copse in the British Grand Prix. Albon was asked to take different lines around the Northamptonshire venue in the wake of that race to deliver ‘evidence’ for Red Bull, which was appealing for a harsher penalty to be sent Hamilton’s way. One doesn’t imagine the team will try that one again, as it was given short shrift by the stewards…
Albon turned his Red Bull reserve gig into a Williams seat in 2022
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
There should be options on the table for Tsunoda in 2027. His Honda links could put him in the frame for Aston Martin, but he’d also be a potential option for any other midfield team seeking experience – again, Albon’s successful spell with Williams has demonstrated that a route back into F1 is possible.
If Red Bull or Racing Bulls require injury/underperformance cover, then Tsunoda will be there to fill the void – as did Daniel Ricciardo in 2023 as he filled in for Nyck de Vries at AlphaTauri (which later led to Lawson’s debut in Zandvoort).
Tsunoda may also wish to cast his net out further afield. Using the Albon example again, the Thai driver had done a year in DTM in a Red Bull-backed AF Corse Ferrari, partnered by Lawson at the team – so a late deal could be struck elsewhere for 2026. IndyCar had been briefly mooted as a potential landing spot, and retaining a tether to Honda could yield opportunities elsewhere – Super Formula or with Acura in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, perchance.
Yet, those options only seem viable if Tsunoda gives up on the F1 dream. The Japanese driver, perhaps something of a racing romantic, would prefer to leave F1 on his own terms – and that involves finding his way back into the fold.
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– The Autosport.com Team
