Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside of F1 from height to parents

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Yuki Tsunoda is the diminutive baby-faced Formula 1 star famed for his foul-mouthed radio rants, so here is everything you need to know about the Red Bull test and reserve driver.

The Faenza outfit then known as AlphaTauri brought Tsunoda into F1 in 2021 as Red Bull and Honda sought to promote from within. He is a product of the Honda Formula Dream Project, but also joined Red Bull’s driver development programme when he came to Europe in 2019.

Tsunoda made history on his Formula 1 debut at the 2021 Bahrain GP as the smallest driver to ever drive in the pinnacle of motorsport. He took the claim away from Anthony Davidson, and Tsunoda later built a reputation for swearing over the radio at Visa Cash App Racing Bull.

Ahead of the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Red Bull announced that Tsunoda would be dropped from Red Bull for next year. The Japanese driver will now become the test and reserve driver for the team in the 2026 season.

Red Bull star Yuki Tsunoda is the smallest F1 driver ever

Formula 1 fans have taken to Tsunoda fondly for his laidback and occasionally ill-disciplined mannerisms. While his on-track results initially saw Red Bull keep him on the Formula 1 grid for their junior team, whom the parent Red Bull company renamed before the 2024 season.

Tsunoda’s racing roots go back to when he was four and first drove go-karts near his home in Sagamihara. Yet, by the age of five, he was already winning titles for his age group. While his dad, Nobuaki Tsunoda, simply saw it as a chance to have fun together and nothing more.

Yet what started out as a hobby soon yielded several karting titles. But the move to single-seaters was more than the Tsunoda family could afford. So, his dad suggested he apply for Honda’s Formula Dream Project, having had connections to the carmaker from his business.

Tsunoda, ultimately, secured Honda’s backing in 2016 and he dominated Super FJ with four wins from four races to taste instant success in single-seaters. While seven wins from eight races, along with sealing eight pole positions, yielded the JAF Japan Formula 4 title in 2017.

Yuki Tsunoda dominated the Japanese racing scene

Driving for the Honda Formula Dream Project team in the 2018 Japanese F4 championship also returned another title. Tsunoda had built his way to the top of the table after finishing the 2016 season in 16th and the 2017 season in third before winning seven of the 14 races.

Red Bull then came calling as Honda took Tsunoda to Europe just as it began developing F1 power units for the team in Milton Keynes. Together, they placed him in the FIA Formula 3 Championship and Euroformula Open Championship in 2019 before stepping to Formula 2.

Tsunoda had only won one of his 16 races in F3 yet secured an F2 drive, and would finish his rookie season third in the standings. He further won three races, including the Feature races at the Belgian GP plus Sakhir GP and the Sprint at the British GP, and took one pole position.

Such a strong rookie F2 season tempted Red Bull to promote Tsunoda into Formula 1 for the 2021 season with AlphaTauri. He debuted at the Bahrain GP and scored points with P9. But, despite scoring 32 points in his rookie season, Tsunoda only took 12 in 2022 and 17 in 2023.

Yuki Tsunoda replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull three rounds into the 2025 F1 season

Tsunoda continued to improve his performances during the 2024 season, as well, to merit a contract extension at the junior Red Bull team, then called RB, for 2025. The Japanese racer penned 30 points in the 2024 campaign, which was his biggest haul since his rookie season.

Yet Red Bull initially snubbed Tsunoda when the team decided to replace Sergio Perez at the end of 2024. Red Bull motorsport adviser Helmut Marko questioned if Tsunoda had the right mentality to be Max Verstappen’s teammate, so they gifted Liam Lawson the Mexican’s seat.

The Kiwi only lasted two rounds in Milton Keynes before Red Bull swapped Lawson out for Tsunoda, deciding that he was actually the driver they required to help improve the RB21. Red Bull handed Tsunoda his debut for the team at home at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix.

But who really is Tsunoda and what is the Red Bull driver’s life outside of Formula 1 like? F1 Oversteer takes a deep dive into everything that you need to know about the Japanese star.

How old is Yuki Tsunoda? What is the Red Bull driver’s age?

At the time of writing, Yuki Tsunoda is 25 years old. He was born on May 11, 2000 to parents dad, Nobuaki Tsunoda, and mum, Minako Tsunoda. His family likes to keep their lives private.

Where was Yuki Tsunoda born? What is his nationality?

Yuki Tsunoda was born in Sagamihara, the third most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan after Yokohama and Kawasaki. It is also Japan’s seventh-largest city with a population of 725,500, as per the 2020 census. It had a population density of 2,206 a square kilometre.

How tall is Yuki Tsunoda? What is his height in feet?

At just 1.59m tall, Yuki Tsunoda is by far the smallest driver in F1 at a height of 5 ft 2 in.

Who is Yuki Tsunoda’s girlfriend? Does he have a wife?

Yuki Tsunoda revealed during a Twitch stream back in June 2022 that he had been dating his girlfriend for ‘like two months’. But the Visa Cash App Racing Bulls driver has strived to keep their relationship out of the private eye and has not shared any further details on it thus far.

Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career stats

As of the end of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Yuki Tsunoda had entered a total of 110 Grands Prix before losing his seat at Red Bull. The Japanese driver was unable to achieve a podium during his four seasons in the sport, although he did take a single fastest lap at the 2023 United States GP.