Helmut Marko ‘closed the door’ on Yuki Tsunoda joining Haas for the 2026 F1 season

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Haas were ‘very interested’ in signing Yuki Tsunoda before Helmut Marko blocked the move, according to a journalist. Tsunoda lost his place on the F1 grid for 2026 after five seasons.

It seemed as if Tsunoda’s long-awaited promotion to Red Bull in early 2025, at the expense of Liam Lawson, would transform his career. But the Japanese driver couldn’t build on the promise he had shown at Racing Bulls.

With Isack Hadjar promoted and Arvid Lindblad parachuted from Formula 2 to the sister team, Tsunoda found himself frozen out. He remains involved with the team as a reserve driver but will likely have to leave entirely if he wants another full-time seat.

Helmut Marko ‘snuffed out’ Haas’ interest in Yuki Tsunoda

Speaking on The Race F1 podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm predicted that Haas will give Tsunoda a second chance in 2027. Team principal Ayao Komatsu was keen on signing him a year ago.

But despite Tsunoda’s indifferent start at Red Bull, Marko wanted to keep all options on the table for 2026. The irony, of course, is that the Austrian left the fold himself at the end of the year.

Tsunoda is tied to Honda, while Haas are linked to Toyota through a title sponsorship and technical partnership. The rivalry between the Japanese manufacturers isn’t seen as an obstacle to a potential deal.

• READ MORE: Yuki Tsunoda says he left Liam Lawson a ‘stunning car’ at Racing Bulls in 2025

“I’m going to stick my neck out and say Yuki Tsunoda,” said Mitchell-Malm. “I think Haas is his route back into F1. Komatsu was very interested in Tsunoda 12 months ago. It couldn’t continue because Marko closed the door to keep maximum flexibility on what Red Bull could do with its drivers.

“It snuffed out that interest quite early, but in that first third of last year, Tsunoda was a bit of an interesting wildcard in that part of the driver market.

“While he’s obviously been a Honda driver up until now, I think it’s possible that, with that Toyota link, Toyota seize the opportunity for Tsunoda to become the reference for what they want to achieve with that Haas partnership, which is to be a pathway for young Japanese drivers.

“I think Tsunoda to Haas has quite a lot of sense to it once you look into it.”

Yuki Tsunoda could replace Esteban Ocon at Haas

While Oliver Bearman is part of the Ferrari family, he is unlikely to be promoted in 2027. Lewis Hamilton’s contract runs for three years and there’s no indication he will leave early.

Instead, Tsunoda could replace Esteban Ocon after Komatsu publicly expressed frustration with the Frenchman’s performances.

Ocon scored his first points of 2026 at the Japanese GP last time out, but he has only finished in the top 10 in five of the last 16 races. Bearman is becoming the lead driver in the team despite his inexperience.

Honda are currently supplying Aston Martin’s engines, but Tsunoda is unlikely to get a seat there because Fernando Alonso is inclined to sign a new contract and Lance Stroll is safe. A move to Haas looks far more realistic.