Why Yuki Tsunoda might be the only person in F1 who’s happy about Aston Martin’s awful start to 2026

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Aston Martin’s horror start to the 2026 Formula 1 season could end up being good news for Red Bull Racing reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda.

Although the grid has expanded from 20 to 22 drivers in 2026, Yuki Tsunoda is the only racer who has dropped out of the sport over the winter break.

Red Bull decided to drop Tsunoda for Isack Hadjar after a strong debut season, and Racing Bulls opted to retain Liam Lawson over the Japanese driver.

Finish the sentence: In 2027, the Aston Martin driver line-up will be…

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It left Tsunoda at a crossroads with every other seat on the 2026 grid already confirmed.

The 25-year-old, who has 111 Grand Prix starts under his belt, will be Red Bull and Racing Bulls’ reserve driver this season.

However, Aston Martin’s torrid start to the 2026 campaign under F1’s new regulations could end up handing him a lifeline to return to the grid next season.

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

Yuki Tsunoda must target 2027 Aston Martin F1 seat after being dropped by Red Bull

The Australian Grand Prix marks the start of a new set of F1 regulations, but Aston Martin might wish that the ruleset change was delayed for another 12 months.

Aston Martin came away from testing with the least mileage and the slowest car, as reliability issues plagued their running.

Honda appear to be in serious trouble with their new power unit after initially deciding to step away from F1 while winning multiple championships with Red Bull.

The delay in confirming their return with Aston Martin has left them on the back foot, and Fernando Alonso is already considering retiring at the end of the season as his dream of winning a third drivers’ championship already looks impossible to achieve.

If the 44-year-old does walk away from F1, then that will open up a seat on the grid that Tsunoda has to target.

The Japanese driver is still connected to Honda and his new role at Red Bull will give him plenty of experience with this generation of cars.

READ MORE: All to know about Aston Martin F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Alan Permane explains Yuki Tsunoda’s 2026 role at Red Bull and Racing Bulls

Tsunoda was linked with joining Aston Martin as a reserve driver last year, but that move never materialised.

At the time, even Damon Hill suggested that Tsunoda should call Aston Martin about a potential race seat this year in the hopes of staying on the grid.

Alonso is confident that Adrian Newey will turn things around at Aston Martin before the end of the season, but that’s going to be easier said than done at this stage.

Racing Bulls chief Alan Permane explained to the assembled media during testing the role that Tsunoda is going to play within the organisation this year.

He said: “It’s great to have Yuki still in the family.

“He’s been part of this team for a long time. It’s good that he’s still going to be in the paddock.

“His input will be very, very valuable; he will help us out a lot with simulator running.

“He will do some Fridays – I’m not sure in both cars or just ours – but he will feature in FP1 running,” he stated.

“But a lot of his work will be simulator support for us.

“That’s really fantastic for us to have someone of his calibre helping us over a race weekend, driving our simulator.”

Tsunoda will want to impress during his limited on-track running, and if he does, then Aston Martin should be his first port of call to get back on the grid.