Yuki Tsunoda has now experienced one thing that he ‘didn’t expect’ at Red Bull

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Yuki Tsunoda only has two more rounds in the United States and Mexico City to save his Formula 1 career, with Red Bull due to decide their 2026 driver line-up very soon.

The 25-year-old has graced the grid since the 2021 F1 season, but he is at risk of being on the sidelines next term. Tsunoda has endured a term he will quickly want to forget since Red Bull promoted the Japanese ace from Racing Bulls to swap seats with Liam Lawson in March.

Tsunoda knew he had to deliver once given the keys to the RB21, as his contract expires this year. But the Kanagawa native is just 17th in the F1 drivers’ championship with six rounds to go, having scored 20 points all term – including three from two rounds while at Racing Bulls.

Now, this week’s United States Grand Prix and next week’s Mexico City Grand Prix will mark his final chances to impress. Motorsport adviser Helmut Marko has confirmed that Red Bull will decide their 2026 driver line-up after the Mexico City GP, as well as Racing Bulls’ line-up.

Yuki Tsunoda ‘didn’t expect’ scoring points for Red Bull would be so hard

Tsunoda admits his results for Red Bull have not been at the level Marko wants. The United States GP marks his 17th round with Red Bull, yet the last 11 only yielded two point-scoring results. Tsunoda only sealed P9 in the Dutch Grand Prix and P6 in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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Having started his time with Red Bull with three top-10 Grand Prix finishes and points in the Miami Sprint in his first five rounds in the RB21, Tsunoda also admits that he did not expect to struggle just to score points. His average finish over the last 11 Grands Prix has been P13.

“I didn’t expect to have to fight so hard for points,” Tsunoda said, via quotes by Motorsport-Total. “I encountered problems I had never experienced before.”

“It will come,” he added. “I learn new things with every race and try to optimise everything as quickly as possible. I can’t yet say that I’ve clearly reached the goal or [I] am at the level [Marko] envisions. But at least I’m moving in the right direction.”

Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda has two rounds to save his F1 career

Tsunoda’s P6 in the Azerbaijan GP suggested the Japanese driver had turned a corner with his performances, and that Red Bull would enjoy having two drivers support their push for second place in the constructors’ standings. But his promise was once again a false dawn.

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Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies was left scratching his head as Tsunoda qualified P13 and finished the Singapore GP in P12. Tsunoda was also lapped for the sixth time over his 16 races for Red Bull so far at Marina Bay, and he was also lapped twice in Monaco and Austria.

Tsunoda’s lack of pace in Singapore surprised Mekies, which triggered alarm bells that it was not a good sign for his Red Bull future. Some figures in the team also do not feel his plight in Singapore was down to the RB21, despite his car being a different spec to Max Verstappen’s.

Now, Tsunoda must produce better results in the COTA Sprint, United States GP and Mexico City GP to save his Formula 1 career. Red Bull are widely expected to promote Isack Hadjar in 2026, but Racing Bulls’ 2026 line-up will be two from Tsunoda, Lawson and Arvid Lindblad.