Yuki Tsunoda told by fans who they want his next F1 teammate to be after 2025 Red Bull exit

Follow us on Google Discover

The 2025 Formula 1 season has come to an end, and Yuki Tsunoda is the only current driver who won’t be on the grid at the start of next year.

Several changes are happening on the grid next year, with Isack Hadjar preparing for his Red Bull debut in 2026 alongside Max Verstappen.

Arvid Lindblad will be the only rookie in Formula 1 next year with Racing Bulls, while Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez return to the grid with newcomers Cadillac.

The main man missing out is Yuki Tsunoda, who has become the latest driver to lose out in Red Bull’s second seat.

He follows in the footsteps of Alex Albon in becoming Red Bull’s reserve driver in 2026, and will be hoping that, like the Williams star, he can make a return to the sport.

McLaren weren’t happy with Tsunoda as he tried to deny Lando Norris the drivers’ championship, but that will quickly be forgotten as the 26-year-old claimed his first title.

Laurent Mekies promised Red Bull would race clean, but Tsunoda’s five-second time penalty suggests otherwise.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents

Formula 1 fans want Pierre Gasly and Yuki Tsunoda to be reunited after Red Bull exit

One of the drivers who will miss Tsunoda the most on the grid next season is Alpine star Pierre Gasly.

Alpine finished bottom of the constructors’ championship, and despite Franco Colapinto failing to score a point in 2025, he’s been retained alongside the Frenchman.

Gasly shared a photo of himself and Tsunoda swapping helmets on Instagram, with both drivers using a love-heart emoji.

There were plenty of comments on his post, each either reflecting on their time together as teammates or wishing that the pair would be reunited.

‘Please pair them again!’ read one comment, while another said: ‘Yuki needs to be back ASAP.’

One fan suggested: ‘Seeing Yuki and Pierre exchange helmets hurts my soul. It’s not fair that Yuki has to leave… not like this. Thank you, Pierre, for taking care of him like a little brother. Today, it just breaks my heart.’

‘Oh, I’ll miss this duo!’ read another reply, and one fan suggested: ‘Yuki saying goodbye to Pierre instead of Red Bull speaks volumes.’

Another fan explained: ‘We love you two. Yukierre is the reason I started watching this sport! We love you, Yuki. You’ll be back in no time. Pierre, thank you for being the best senpai, brother and friend to Yuki.’

Meanwhile, one person said when seeing the photos: ‘The relationship between the two of you is truly fascinating… I sincerely hope that Yuki will be freed from the curse of Red Bull just like Pierre. I believe Yuki will definitely come back. I’ll be waiting.’

READ MORE: Alpine driver Pierre Gasly’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Could Yuki Tsunoda partner Pierre Gasly at Alpine one day?

Tsunoda would have been gutted to lose his seat at Red Bull, especially as he started the season so well with Racing Bulls.

Liam Lawson convinced Red Bull to hand him a new contract over Tsunoda to partner Lindblad next year, while it’s hard to argue against Hadjar’s promotion after a stunning rookie season.

What is in Tsunoda’s favour next year is that the driver market is expected to be frenetic, with the pecking order of the constructors likely to be completely jumbled up.

Alpine are hoping that becoming a Mercedes customer team will give them a much-needed boost after a terrible 2025.

If Colapinto doesn’t close the gap to Gasly, then they may need to look at an alternative teammate for the one-time race winner.

Gasly reportedly wanted Tsunoda as his teammate next year, but Flavio Briatore instead looked at options internally, with Paul Aron and Jack Doohan still on their books.

Tsunoda’s team will be exploring every option possible for 2026 and beyond, and by staying in the F1 sphere next year, as Bottas has at Mercedes, then he’s making himself the first option for any team that needs a new driver.