Yuki Tsunoda heads to Yas Marina with a finality he didn’t expect a few months ago. Sunday in Abu Dhabi is set to be his last Formula 1 start — for now — after Red Bull confirmed he’ll shift into a test and reserve role for 2026. It’s a harsh comedown from the spike of a mid-season promotion, but if there’s one constant with Tsunoda, it’s that he doesn’t go quietly.
“I’m not finished yet,” he told fans in a defiant Instagram post as the news landed. “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… and prove I deserve a place on the grid.”
The story is as ruthless as it is familiar in Red Bull’s driver machine. Tsunoda was vaulted into the senior team for his home race in Japan after the team decided two rounds were enough to conclude Liam Lawson wasn’t the answer alongside Max Verstappen. It was the call-up Tsunoda had chased for years — the show-me window he believed would define his career.
But across the second half of the campaign, he never truly dislodged the question marks. There were flashes — there always are with Yuki — yet not the sustained scoring run or qualifying needlework Red Bull craves next to Verstappen. The team has chosen to go younger for 2026: Isack Hadjar will graduate from Racing Bulls to the main seat, while teenage prospect Arvid Lindblad steps up to Racing Bulls alongside Lawson. In one sweep, the ladder kept moving and Tsunoda fell off the last rung.
Former Alpine racer Jack Doohan — who knows a thing or two about the purgatory of reserve status — dropped a supportive note beneath Tsunoda’s post: “You’ll be back brother.” The paddock agrees on that sentiment more than you’d think. Tsunoda’s speed is not in dispute; the argument’s always been about polish and peaks. In the right car and mood, he’s a handful for anyone. The trouble is translating that into a season-long case file.
Red Bull Racing team boss Laurent Mekies — who has worked with Tsunoda through their shared AlphaTauri/Racing Bulls past, and moved into the senior role following Christian Horner’s departure — offered a warm tribute that felt genuine rather than perfunctory. “Through his five seasons so far in Formula 1, Yuki has matured into a complete racer,” he said, praising Tsunoda’s Saturdays, his starts, and his wheel-to-wheel craft. “Everyone in the sport would agree it is impossible not to like Yuki… he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family.”
That last line matters. Red Bull’s driver program can feel like a revolving door with carbon-fibre edges, but they don’t invest seven seasons in a driver they don’t rate. A development-heavy 2026, with new power units and aero rules, could prove a useful stage for a driver who’s sensitive to car balance and feedback. If Tsunoda channels the frustration into data work and sim mileage, he’ll be first in line if a seat unexpectedly shakes loose — and in this business, something always moves.
For now, the reset leaves Tsunoda with one more shot to leave a mark in 2025. Abu Dhabi isn’t a track that typically flatters the brave, but it rewards tidy execution and tyre whispering — skills he’s sharpened considerably since the harum-scarum rookie days. Expect him to wring it; the grandstands will sense the farewell, and so will he.
It’s also a window into Red Bull’s broader 2026 bet. Hadjar’s promotion underscores the group’s appetite for youth, while Lindblad’s fast-track to F1 with Racing Bulls keeps the pipeline humming. Lawson, after his own mid-season audition, gets a stable seat to prove he belongs long-term. There’s method here even if it’s merciless.
So where does that leave Tsunoda? In limbo, technically. In reality, he’s parked on the pit wall with a headset and a very real chance to engineer a return. The Japanese driver’s highs have always been high enough to keep doors ajar, and he’s popular within the garage — which matters when development priorities take over. A reset year, a rules revolution, a vacancy at the right moment: that’s a viable route back to Sundays.
“I know it sounds a little optimistic,” Tsunoda added, “but setbacks happen. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be.” It didn’t sound optimistic. It sounded like a promise.
Abu Dhabi has a way of packing up stories neatly. Tsunoda’s doesn’t feel finished. It feels paused — and more interesting than ever.
