Yuki Tsunoda has issued a powerful and determined message to his fans and rivals, insisting that his Formula 1 career is far from over despite being dropped from the Red Bull race seat for the 2026 season.
The Japanese driver, 25, publicly broke his silence after the announcement that rookie Isack Hadjar would replace him alongside Max Verstappen next year, leaving Tsunoda without a spot on the F1 grid for the first time since his debut in 2021.
Performance Struggle: The Verstappen Challenge
Tsunoda started 2025 at Racing Bulls but was promoted to the senior Red Bull team two rounds into the campaign in a swap with Liam Lawson. However, like a long list of previous drivers at the senior team, he struggled to match the exceptional performance of teammate Max Verstappen.
As of the Qatar Grand Prix, Verstappen had accumulated 396 points, while Tsunoda had collected just 33 points, 30 of which were earned in the Red Bull seat. This gap was evident in qualifying, where Tsunoda endured a spate of early Q1 exits.
Reflecting on the challenge, Tsunoda offered both regret and perspective:
“I’m not saying I don’t have regret at all,” said Tsunoda, pondering his early-season promotion. “I’m missing the Racing Bulls car, which part of the car I developed since the regulations started… Some DNA is in there and you throw out your baby. So, I missed that and kind of regret that.”
He acknowledged the difficulty of the seat but highlighted his proximity to the three-time champion: “I kind of understand it why this seat is a little bit difficult… I see consistently the difference between me and Max. I can’t remember the last time I was four-and-a-half tenths back. I jumped in in the middle of the season, he drove this car for four years, and being this close is something [of a] different situation to a lot of drivers who were driving [here] before.”
From Race Seat to Reserve: A Strategic Setback
Tsunoda, who was also denied a seat at the sister team, Racing Bulls, confirmed he will transition into the crucial role of Red Bull’s Test and Reserve Driver for 2026. This position, while a step back from racing, puts him at the heart of the team’s development program ahead of the sport’s radical new technical regulations.
In a poignant statement shared on social media, Tsunoda admitted the news was difficult, but framed the decision as a temporary hurdle:
”Finding out I won’t have a race seat in 2026 was incredibly tough, but I’m determined to work harder than ever with Red Bull as test and reserve driver to develop with the team, and prove I deserve a place on the grid. Life’s full of setbacks, and this is mine. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be.”
The Path to 2027
The move mirrors the career paths of former Red Bull drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Alex Albon, both of whom successfully used the reserve role to stage a full-time return to the F1 grid—a potential route back that the media is already linking him to, citing his Honda links (for Aston Martin) or any other midfield team seeking experienced talent.
Tsunoda is set to leverage his year on the sidelines to become an expert on the 2026-spec car, a technical understanding that will make him a prime target for teams looking to fill their 2027 line-ups. He also revealed that his existing contract had restricted him from negotiating with outside parties for the 2026 season, suggesting a greater freedom to pursue opportunities across the entire paddock for his inevitable comeback.
Despite the demotion, Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies praised Tsunoda’s contributions: “His personality is infectious, and he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family,” underscoring that the door is not fully closed.
As Tsunoda prepares for what could be his final F1 race weekend at the Abu Dhabi season finale, his message is clear: the driver has been sidelined, but the fight to return has just begun.
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