The unexpected turn reshaping Yuki Tsunoda’s future at Red Bull

Red Bull has made a decision that reshapes its 2026 structure and leaves Yuki Tsunoda off the grid — at least for now.

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The shockwave came out of Milton Keynes. Red Bull confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will not race in Formula 1 in 2026, bringing a five-season stint on the grid to an end for the Japanese driver.

The energy drink giant formalized a move that had been building for weeks: Isack Hadjar will step up as Max Verstappen’s new team mate, while Arvid Lindblad joins Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls (VCARB, Visa Cash App Racing Bulls).

Tsunoda, meanwhile, remains within the Red Bull program, but in a test and reserve driver role for both teams, a position once held by Alex Albon before his return to F1 with Williams.

A farewell that isn’t really goodbye

Team principal Laurent Mekies struck a warm, almost paternal tone when speaking about Tsunoda. In an official statement, he said:

“Yuki has raced in Red Bull colors for seven years… it’s impossible not to love him. His personality is contagious, and he’s become a very special part of the Red Bull family.”

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Mekies stressed that Tsunoda will remain a key asset for the 2026 project, particularly in the development of the new Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

Elsewhere in the statement, he added:

“He has grown into a complete driver… bringing qualifying speed and strong racecraft in starts and wheel-to-wheel battles.”

A career of highs, lows, and reinvention

Tsunoda made his F1 debut in 2021 with AlphaTauri and enjoyed his most stable period in 2022 alongside Pierre Gasly. Despite outperforming team mates such as Nyck de Vries and Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull’s constant search for a long-term successor to Sergio Pérez left him exposed.

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When Lawson struggled to adapt during his early races alongside Verstappen in 2025, Tsunoda was urgently recalled from the Japanese Grand Prix onward. But the task was enormous: no driver has come close to matching Verstappen’s pace in recent years.

The 2026 role: vital, even if understated

Tsunoda now becomes a strategic technical pillar, focusing on simulator work and development during a season that introduces all-new chassis regulations and power units (power units).

While less glamorous, the role has proven historically critical:
Alex Albon used it as a springboard back to the grid.
Robert Kubica played a vital development role at Renault and Williams.
And Stoffel Vandoorne became indispensable at Mercedes.

A final goodbye? Not at all. Tsunoda remains in the fight

At just 26 years old in 2026, Tsunoda still has time on his side. The driver market often offers second chances, and with 11 teams on the grid, the door remains open. For now, his mission shifts: helping Red Bull build the most ambitious project of its hybrid-era future.