Yuki Tsunoda has suffered from the same ‘classic’ problem which ended Sergio Perez’s Red Bull career

Follow us on Google Discover

Yuki Tsunoda now knows that his Red Bull career won’t be continuing beyond the end of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The Japanese driver failed to impress enough this year, scoring a best result of sixth in a car that remains in contention for the drivers’ championship at the final race.

Red Bull couldn’t continue to justify his performance into the start of the 2026 F1 regulations, which is an incredibly important new dawn for them, including running their own engines.

There wasn’t space for Tsunoda at Racing Bulls either, meaning he’s off the grid for good for the first time in more than five years.

Unfortunately, Red Bull rejected an offer from Honda that would have seen him remain in a cockpit full-time.

Red Bull paid tribute to Tsunoda and thanked him for his contributions to the team. Now, he has just one more weekend to look forward to, without knowing if it’ll end up being his last.

READ MORE: Yuki Tsunoda already has a perfect route back onto the F1 grid in 2027 after losing Red Bull seat

Yuki Tsunoda suffered from ‘classic’ rear instability which ended Sergio Perez’s Red Bull career

Isack Hadjar won’t replace Tsunoda in Abu Dhabi, earlier than anticipated, and for good reason. Driving the RB21 wouldn’t do him any good.

The young Frenchman has impressed during his rookie season, and it’s why Red Bull have opted to put their faith in him to replace Tsunoda.

According to The Race, Tsunoda has suffered from a ‘classic’ Red Bull problem in 2025, and struggled to grasp having a nervous or loose rear end.

It has been a common theme over the last few years, and is also something that Sergio Perez complained about during the 2024 campaign.

“I think it’s mainly balance,” he told Sports Illustrated. “We need to be able to stop the car and be able to carry the speed.

“The problem is that we are not able to throw the car in because the rear is nowhere. So it’s something we have to work on.”

READ MORE: The F1 paddock is asking one question about Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull future as 2026 decision looms

Will Yuki Tsunoda regret taking a Red Bull seat at the start of 2025?

Originally, Tsunoda was snubbed for the role he currently occupies at the end of 2024. Just a few months later, he received the call to replace Liam Lawson.

He was an immediate upgrade over the Kiwi at the time, but was never able to kick on in the RB21. He might have scored more points at Racing Bulls.

The promotion hasn’t done his reputation any good, and one can only hope that Hadjar’s career isn’t destroyed by moving up too early, too.

By all counts, Tsunoda was ready for a top drive, but the unique Red Bull scenario alongside Verstappen was always setting him up to fail.