Yuki Tsunoda says ‘there’s a chance’ he won’t just be a reserve driver next year

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Yuki Tsunoda has been on the Formula 1 grid since the start of 2021, but he will be absent for next year’s season opener in Australia. That’s after Red Bull demoted him to the role of reserve driver.

Tsunoda finally made the breakthrough he had been chasing for years when Red Bull dropped Liam Lawson and parachuted him in after just two races.

But with hindsight, that move may have saved Lawson and doomed Tsunoda. The Japanese driver only scored 30 points in 22 weekends for Red Bull, fewer than both Racing Bulls drivers.

With one of those drivers, Isack Hadjar, quickly emerging as Max Verstappen’s chosen teammate for 2026, Tsunoda’s only hope of staying in F1 was a return to Faenza. But Lawson’s extension and Arvid Lindblad’s ascension from F2 blocked that route.

Yuki Tsunoda says Red Bull changed their minds about his 2025 role

Speaking to DAZN, via Motorsport, Tsunoda said the news from Red Bull came as a ‘surprise’. Intriguingly, he suspects that they changed their minds about his role at the last moment.

It’s believed that Red Bull have kept Tsunoda primarily to protect their relationship with Honda. While they’re building their own engines for 2026, they still require access to their ground-effect cars for their TPC programme.

Tsunoda remains optimistic even after his five-year spell on the grid came to an end. He also hinted that he may be more than a test driver next year.

Ted Kravitz questioned the timing of Red Bull’s decision, suggesting that it affected their driver’s motivation for Abu Dhabi, where they needed his help against Verstappen’s title rival, Lando Norris.

“I was told after the Qatar race, but honestly, it didn’t seem real at first,” Tsunoda said. “I had prepared myself for this possibility, but the news was different from what I had been told before, so it was a surprise.

Where did you expect Yuki Tsunoda to finish when he joined Red Bull?

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“I heard that the decision may have changed just before it reached me. I’m sure there were many reasons behind it.”

“But when they told me I wouldn’t have a seat next year, it wasn’t like the world had ended. We still had Abu Dhabi, so I was only thinking about the next race.

“There’s a chance that next year won’t be limited to just simulator work and being a reserve driver. I’ve heard about a few possible scenarios. For now, I’m going to rest, then start training for next season.”

“I’m only 25, so there’s a lot of room for improvement. This is just the beginning. Maybe a chapter is ending, but I’m excited to see how I can evolve from here.

“I’m going to discover things I couldn’t see before, learn from a different perspective, and I’m looking forward to that. My motivation for next year is incredibly high.”

Laurent Mekies’ final radio message to Yuki Tsunoda before he lost Red Bull seat

To speculate, Tsunoda may be suggesting that he could return to a race seat midway through next year if one of the incumbents, likely Lindblad or Lawson, struggles. In 2023, Red Bull reserve Daniel Ricciardo replaced the underwhelming Nyck de Vries just before the summer break.

Tsunoda says he drove a slower car than Verstappen last year due to a disparity in upgrades. Given how close F1 was in 2025, the resulting loss of two to three tenths arguably cost him a litany of positions.

Red Bull will know exactly what specification Tsunoda was using, and clearly, they still feel he underperformed with the tools he was given.

Speaking to the 25-year-old on the radio after the chequered flag last Sunday, Laurent Mekies said: “Thanks, Yuki, for this season. I know you gave everything a big thank you for everything you have done and for having tried until the last lap.”

Tsunoda picked up a five-second penalty during the race for weaving as he tried to hold Norris up.