Yuki Tsunoda is now ‘being considered’ at £1.2bn-valued F1 team after unsuccessful Cadillac talks

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Yuki Tsunoda was one of the drivers in the running for a Cadillac seat. In the end, the spots went to Sergio Perez, one of his Red Bull predecessors, and Valtteri Bottas.

Tsunoda has been forced to consider his options as he approaches the end of his Red Bull contract. He’s enduring one of the team’s worst individual seasons ever, though even teammate Max Verstappen acknowledges that the RB21 is a difficult car to drive.

Tsunoda’s agent had a ‘conversation’ with Cadillac during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend at the end of May. He had previously been linked with Aston Martin, but both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are under contract for next year.

Cadillac would have been thrilled to sign Tsunoda, but the Japanese driver may have had reservations about joining a brand-new project. He’d entered 2025 on the back of his best season to date (12th in the championship).

Yuki Tsunoda now under consideration at Alpine

Alpine held talks with both Perez and Bottas amid concern over the form of Franco Colapinto. They ultimately lost out to firmer proposals from Cadillac.

But according to a report from RacingNews365 Netherlands, Colapinto still isn’t safe. Jack Doohan is ‘still in contention’ to make what would be a sensational return after losing his seat six races into the 2025 season.

What’s more, ‘Tsunoda’s name is also being considered’ by Flavio Briatore. He and Doohan look like the main candidates to replace Colapinto now, but the veteran team boss could ‘suddenly pull a rabbit out of a hat’.

Should Tsunoda join Alpine, he would reunite with former teammate Pierre Gasly. They spent two seasons together at AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) when the Sagamihara native broke into F1.

The obstacle that could block Yuki Tsunoda from joining Alpine

One of the reasons that Cadillac won the race for Perez and Bottas was that Alpine couldn’t offer guarantees. They weren’t certain that they could remove Colapinto.

The Argentine has brought multiple sponsors to the team, which creates a web of contractual considerations. There’s a possibility Colapinto keeps his seat for next year due to those lucrative deals.

Tsunoda could still keep his Red Bull seat, though he will naturally have to display signs of improvement. In Laurent Mekies, he has a team boss who is keenly aware of his talent.

Keeping Tsunoda would likely mean holding Arvid Lindblad back for another year. Lindblad has been expected to step up from F2 and join Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson, with Isack Hadjar graduating to the top team.