Yuki Tsunoda entered Formula 1 in 2021 with AlphaTauri and has stuck with the team ever since. The Japanese driver has improved mightily since his rookie season and was in serious contention to replace Sergio Perez at Red Bull for 2025, but Liam Lawson was eventually chosen. Tsunoda apparently did not perform well enough for that seat, which shocked many.
Tsunoda is set to return to the team, now known as Racing Bulls, this season. It is the final year of his current contract, and with Honda set to leave the Red Bull family upon the conclusion of 2025, it appears that the 24-year-old will follow suit.
It makes us wonder whether or not Tsunoda was only there due to his ties to Honda as a way of appeasing the manufacturer, not only since Red Bull have an extremely strong junior driver pipeline but because of the fact that he was passed up for the top seat alongside Max Verstappen.
Though the Japanese driver has made it clear that he desires to stay within the Red Bull family beyond this season, the interest simply may not be mutual. Judging by the way Tsunoda has been treated by the team, and how team principal Christian Horner speaks about him at times, it appears as though Red Bull are counting down until his contract expires.
Tsunoda could be completely without a Formula 1 team in 2026
After we saw a large portion of the grid get reshuffled for the 2025 season, it will certainly not be the same for next year.
Many drivers are now under contract for 2026 and beyond, and the drivers whose contracts are due to expire at the end of this season will likely see their deals renewed.
With no viable seats likely to open up for Tsunoda next season, even amid Honda's impending move to Aston Martin, his only bet may be to join Cadillac, soon-to-be Formula 1’s 11th and newest team in 2026.
The main issue with that is whether they will want the Japanese driver, with so many others having already been linked to their two seats.
Rumors over the past few months have suggested that Cadillac will survey several other options before they potentially turn their attention to Tsunoda. As a result, he could find himself taking on a reserve driver role at a team with his sights set on landing a 2027 seat. It would only go on to show how brutally competitive Formula 1 is.