After five seasons on the Formula 1 grid Yuki Tsunoda is stepping back from a full-time race seat — but he isn’t leaving the Red Bull stable. The 25-year-old will stay with Red Bull in 2026 as a reserve driver while Isack Hadjar is promoted from Racing Bulls and Arvid Lindblad moves up from Formula 2. Across 111 Grands Prix Tsunoda scored 124 championship points, his best result a P4 at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
A fast-track rise
Tsunoda’s climb to F1 was unusually rapid. He moved from Japanese F4 to the world championship in under four years after joining Honda’s Formula Dream Project in 2016 and entering the Red Bull junior programme. In 2020 he raced for Carlin in Formula 2, finishing third overall and top rookie with three wins, four poles and seven podiums. A decisive victory in the final Bahrain round delivered the Super Licence points he needed to reach Formula 1 for 2021.
On track he established himself as an aggressive, entertaining racer: bold overtakes, willing tyre management and a willingness to push the limit. Franz Tost, his AlphaTauri team principal at the time, called him a modern driver who knows what he wants and isn’t afraid to drive on the edge. That approach produced an eye-catching debut in Bahrain 2021, where he fought to P9 and his first points, and his P4 finish in Abu Dhabi remains the high-water mark of his results.
Rough patches and resilience
Not every year was smooth. AlphaTauri’s dip in 2022 made development and results hard to come by, but the experience gained proved useful later. When the team rebranded as Racing Bulls in 2023–24, Tsunoda largely got the better of several high-profile teammates — Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson — and produced strong qualifying performances, including a stand-out P3 in wet conditions at São Paulo in 2024.
A mid-2025 promotion into Red Bull’s second race seat brought fresh expectations. He showed determination and produced some gutsy drives, but matching the pace and consistency of team-mate Max Verstappen proved elusive, leading Red Bull to explore other options for 2026. Still, Tsunoda’s on-track grit kept fans engaged and produced memorable moments.
Life in the paddock
Tsunoda arrived in F1 as one of the youngest drivers and quickly became one of the paddock’s more sociable figures. He forged genuine friendships with teammates and engineers and brought a light-hearted energy to the garage. His rapport with Pierre Gasly was particularly public — from shared on- and off-track banter to karaoke in Tokyo — and the pair became a fan favourite pairing.
He’s also been visible across social channels and behind-the-scenes moments: padel sessions and parade laps with Max Verstappen, TikTok content with Hadjar and Lawson, and a warm public send-off for Ricciardo when the Australian left the sport. That approachable side made him popular with fans, mechanics and visiting celebrities alike.
A colorful identity
Tsunoda’s creativity shows in his helmet art — a Honda tribute at Abu Dhabi 2021, a Kabuki-inspired design for his 2025 Suzuka home race, and a Valorant collaboration at Spa in 2024 are among the most notable. Off-track he mixes team kit with a casual, fashionable paddock look: backwards caps, sunglasses and graphic tees are common, and he’s drawn attention at events such as film premieres and fan gatherings.
Unfiltered emotion
His radio outbursts — often laced with expletives and raw emotion — became a broadcasting staple and reinforced his image as a fiercely competitive driver who wears his feelings on his sleeve. Those moments, bleeped or uncensored, helped grow his fanbase and added authenticity to his media presence.
Not the end of the road
Moving to a reserve role should not be read as a definitive end to his on-track career. Recent examples show drivers can return after time away: Alex Albon’s route back into a race seat and Valtteri Bottas’s renewed form after reserve duties are reminders that the path isn’t linear. If Tsunoda commits to simulator work, stays sharp and benefits from the right opportunities, a return to the grid remains possible.
Whether he races again or not, Yuki Tsunoda’s first five seasons left a clear mark — a mix of daring driving, striking style and a genuine paddock personality that resonated with fans and colleagues alike.