Alex Albon’s ‘biased’ verdict on Yuki Tsunoda reveals why he should be on Alpine’s radar in 2026

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Yuki Tsunoda won’t be on the grid with Red Bull Racing next season, but Williams driver Alex Albon doesn’t think that’s the right decision.

After 22 races, Yuki Tsunoda’s role as a Red Bull driver will come to an end after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The 25-year-old has scored 30 points since his promotion at the Japanese Grand Prix, leaving him 15th in the drivers’ championship.

It’s not a great look that both Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson are above him in the standings, but some caveats need to be taken into account when assessing Tsunoda’s 2025 season.

The Japanese driver’s lack of a pre-season with Red Bull immediately put him on the back foot, and Red Bull didn’t always give Tsunoda the same spec car as Max Verstappen.

On top of this, even his best performances, such as in Mexico City, were hampered for the benefit of his teammate.

Alex Albon has now reacted to Tsunoda’s departure ahead of the race in Abu Dhabi, and his opinion of the 25-year-old suggests that another team on the grid should take a gamble on him.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Alex Albon says Yuki Tsunoda ‘deserves a place in Formula 1’ after Red Bull exit

Albon was asked about Tsunoda’s departure via Motorsport during media day for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. He said: “Honestly, I’m away from social media, so I only found out this morning. It’s hard for Yuki. I think Yuki’s an extremely talented driver.

“Personally, I think he deserves a place in Formula 1. He’s a reserve driver. As of now?

“I hope he can find a way to make an impact with the team. He’s in a very similar place to where I was in 2021. There’s still opportunity.

“How does Arvid [Lindblad] perform, and how does Liam perform in that area? Is there an opportunity for him to come back?.

“I think that’s why they have put him where they’ve put him.

“I guess I’m biased. I’m very biased towards the fellow Asians in the paddock. He’s got the talent, and I hope to see him back in Formula 1.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Alpine F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Why Alpine should be the team that signs Yuki Tsunoda from Red Bull next season

Albon knows better than anybody how to get back into Formula 1 after being named as a reserve driver by Red Bull.

At the conclusion of the 2020 campaign, Red Bull replaced Albon with Sergio Perez, and the Thai driver took on the reserve role, which included mentoring Tsunoda during his debut season.

Williams took a chance on Albon the following year, and he’s now closing in on becoming the driver with the most race starts in their Formula 1 history.

Alpine should look to Williams as inspiration when it comes to their driver line-up and think about bringing in Tsunoda.

Pierre Gasly previously wanted Tsunoda to join him at Alpine, with Franco Colapinto already confirmed for 2026 despite failing to score a point this year.

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Juan Pablo Montoya would also like Tsunoda to race for Alpine, with his prospects of a return to the grid with Red Bull looking extremely unlikely.

Tsunoda has more than 100 race starts ahead of him, and it’s easy to forget that at the start of 2025, he looked like the most impressive driver in the midfield before his Red Bull promotion.

He still has strong support from his sponsors, which would allow him to compete with Colapinto financially, and is far better placed to score points than the Argentinian based on their head-to-head record over the past 18 months.