Yuki Tsunoda’s Future in Formula 1: A Second Chance Ahead?
Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 career is parked in the pit lane for now, but inside Red Bull there is a clear belief it should not stay there.
Team principal Laurent Mekies says the Japanese driver has earned “another opportunity” on the grid, even after a bruising 2025 season that cost him his full-time seat.
From Verstappen’s wingman to the sidelines
Red Bull’s decision last winter was ruthless, even by its own standards. Tsunoda’s first year in the senior team yielded just 30 points from 22 grands prix, leaving him 17th in the championship. On the other side of the garage, Max Verstappen finished second in the standings.
That gulf sealed Tsunoda’s fate. Red Bull moved him into a reserve and simulator role and promoted Isack Hadjar, the rookie who had turned heads with a podium at Zandvoort for sister team Racing Bulls.
Yet Mekies is adamant Tsunoda’s story should not end with a demotion.
“Yuki is doing a great job with us, not only as a reserve driver, but also as a simulator driver,” he told the Beyond the Grid podcast. For a team chasing marginal gains, a driver who knows the current machinery inside out still has real value. “It's great to have somebody that has such deep, recent experience of the car that can help us behind the scenes.”
Mekies didn’t stop there. “Of course, we wish for him that there is an opportunity that comes soon because racing drivers are meant to race. And that's what we wish for Yuki.”
A reminder of the speed that’s still there
Tsunoda’s four seasons at Racing Bulls before his Red Bull promotion were often chaotic but rarely dull. The raw pace was obvious, even if the polish wasn’t always there. That, Mekies insists, should not be forgotten.
“We are conscious that we haven't been as strong as we would have liked in the past in terms of the second-car performance at Red Bull Racing,” he admitted. The team has long wrestled with finding a consistent partner for Verstappen, and Tsunoda’s struggles became part of that narrative.
Yet Mekies pushed back on any suggestion that the Japanese driver lacked the tools. “It's fair to say that Yuki has shown significant speed in the past and we wish for him that another opportunity comes along the way.”
The subtext is clear: Red Bull might not be that opportunity.
Hadjar seizes his moment
Because while Tsunoda waits, Hadjar is busy making his case in real time.
Thrown into a difficult RB22, the Frenchman has wasted no time in justifying Red Bull’s faith. His debut in Melbourne produced a standout moment: third on the grid in qualifying. He backed that up with points in China and delivered a statement lap at Suzuka, outqualifying Verstappen at the world champion’s spiritual home — something Tsunoda never managed.
“Isack is in a great place right now,” Mekies said ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. The praise was not just about lap times. It was about attitude.
Hadjar moved to London in early January, embedding himself in the team’s daily rhythm. “He's at the factory every other day. He spends as much time as he can in the simulator, trying to understand all the engineering parts around the car. He has been as keen as you can be.”
The commitment has bordered on obsessive. Mekies revealed that Hadjar even flew back to the UK between the two Bahrain tests to squeeze in extra simulator work before returning to the desert. “So, credit to him for the level of commitment.”
For Hadjar, this is not sacrifice. It is fulfilment. “He's not making an effort, that’s what he loves to do. He has been living, dreaming about that moment for a long time, and for him, it's his dream.”
The early evidence suggests it is paying off. “I think the first two races show that it's already showing the right results. He has been able to show the right speed straight away. I'm sure he will remember his first qualifying with us with a P3 in Melbourne, and it's a long season that will be up and down.”
Red Bull see room — and reason — for growth. “We believe drivers make steps and we expect steps from Isack this year and we think he has all the right talents and all the right approach to be able to make these steps.”
One seat closed, another still to open?
Hadjar’s rise effectively shuts the Red Bull door on Tsunoda for now. The second car, once a revolving seat of pressure and uncertainty, suddenly looks more secure.
Yet Mekies’ words about Tsunoda were not casual. They sounded like a message to the rest of the paddock: there is a race-hardened driver here, quick, experienced with current machinery, and still only in his mid-twenties.
For the moment, Tsunoda will keep logging the simulator miles and waiting. The question is no longer whether Red Bull believes he deserves another chance.
It’s which team will be bold enough to hand it to him.
