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Yuki Tsunoda loses his Red Bull race seat to Isack Hadjar for 2026 but vows to fight on as test and reserve driver.
Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda (X)
Yuki Tsunoda may be down, but he sure isn’t planning on staying out.
The Japanese driver says losing his Red Bull race seat for 2026 was “incredibly tough,” but insists that his F1 journey is far from over.
The 25-year-old was replaced on Tuesday by French rookie Isack Hadjar, who will partner Max Verstappen next season. With no return to sister team Racing Bulls on the table, Tsunoda will shift into a test and reserve role for Red Bull.
“I’m not finished yet,” Tsunoda wrote on social media.
i’m not finished yet.Finding out I won’t have a race seat in 2026 was incredibly tough, but I’m determined to work harder than ever with Red Bull as test and reserve driver to develop with the team, and prove I deserve a place on the grid. Life’s full of setbacks, and this is… pic.twitter.com/oVxeZF4qCf
— Yuki Tsunoda (@yukitsunoda07) December 3, 2025
“Finding out I won’t have a race seat in 2026 was incredibly tough, but I’m determined to work harder than ever as Red Bull’s test and reserve driver and prove I deserve a place on the grid.”
Tsunoda stepped into the Red Bull seat two races into the season, taking over from Liam Lawson, but has since scored just 33 points compared to Verstappen’s commanding 396.
Despite over 100 Grand Prix starts since joining the F1 grid in 2021, the Japanese driver is still chasing his first podium.
He currently sits just behind Lawson in the championship standings and admits this setback is significant — but not defining.
“Life’s full of setbacks, and this is mine,” Tsunoda said. “It’s not going to deter me from becoming the best F1 driver I can be.”
Meanwhile, there is also a strong feeling internally that VCARB’s Liam Lawson has not been given all the conditions required to thrive by the company’s decisions around his career.
That’s why, despite a demotion that at the time many thought would essentially be career-ending, The New Zealander has been handed a lifeline with another season at the junior team.
Lawson will partner with British-Swedish driver Lindblad, who only turned 18 in August. Much-hyped Linbdlad had a mixed rookie Formula 2 season, where he is currently sixth in the championship.
Click here to add News18 as your preferred news source on Google. December 04, 2025, 11:32 IST
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