Yuki Tsunoda breaks silence after dropping Red Bull seat regardless of Max Verstappen declare
Yuki Tsunoda has broken his silence after it was announced he was axed by Red Bull and would not have a seat on the 2026 F1 grid by posting an emotional message despite making a bold Max Verstappen claim
Yuki Tsunoda has insisted that his F1 journey isn’t over after being axed by Red Bull for the 2026 season. It was announced on Tuesday that Isack Hadjar would be promoted from Racing Bulls to team up with Max Verstappen next year.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda will take on the role of Red Bull’s test and reserve driver after his final race at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He was brought in to replace Liam Lawson following the first two races of the current campaign, but has struggled to produce reliable results. Red Bull’s choice to drop him means he’ll be absent from the grid next season for the first time since his 2021 debut. But Tsunoda remains confident that he’ll make a comeback at some point.
In an Instagram post, he shared a heartfelt message that stated: “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 mine. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be.”
Tsunoda has managed just 33 points in 2025 and hasn’t placed better than sixth since his switch to Red Bull this year. He secured fifth place at the season opener in Australia, but that was while he was still racing for Racing Bulls.
Speaking at last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Tsunoda unsuccessfully tried to argue his case by boldly insisting that he had been able to get closer to Verstappen than any of his predecessors despite being 15th in the drivers’ standings – 363 points behind the Dutchman, who is still in the hunt to win his fifth successive title.
“I think I’m showing what I can do, and I don’t think within my seat [others have] consistently [been] able to drive like this close,” said the Japanese driver.
“I didn’t see much drivers like this, able to achieve like this step in the middle of the season and went through very, very difficult moments with the beginning of the season.”
Meanwhile, former world champion Jacques Villeneuve has urged Tsunoda to be thankful for his F1 career, having stayed on the grid for the last five years.
“Tsunoda should be happy, thankful that he’s had such a long and fruitful career in the first place. He got his chance, it did not work out,” said Villeneuve.
“But he has made a big name for himself. He still has a long future in racing, and he will still earn a lot of money racing. He’ll go back, maybe to race in Japan. He is a star now in Japan and normally that will last forever. So he has made his name, he is fine.”
Tsunoda will miss FP1 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend as Arvid Lindblad, who will take the second Racing Bulls seat next season, will drive the opening session of the weekend.
