Yuki Tsunoda takes stock after switching to Red Bull and has only one regret – his future with the team is currently still up in the air
Yuki Tsunoda has only one regret after switching to Red Bull: his crash in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
The Japanese driver joined the Milton Keynes-based team ahead of the third Formula 1 race weekend of the 2025 season. Since replacing rookie Liam Lawson alongside Max Verstappen, Tsunoda has scored 25 World Championship points (the current standings in the Drivers’ Championship). Tsunoda has clearly struggled to get the same level of performance out of the Red Bull as the Dutchman.
Ahead of the Qatar weekend, the 25-year-old was asked if he regretted the move from Racing Bulls to Red Bull in hindsight. “No, I don’t regret it. But if I had to name one thing, it would be the crash at Imola,” Tsunoda explained. “I think that set me back quite a bit in the following races. That’s the only thing.”
Imola cost Tsunoda his confidence
“I don’t regret my decision to go to Red Bull. I would make the same decision again. I even think it has made me stronger. But yes, the only big mistake this year was the accident at Imola. That’s it.”
Tsunoda spectacularly rolled his car in qualifying in Italy after crashing into the tire wall as a result of a driving error. The Japanese driver was uninjured, but the accident clearly had an effect. “I think it shook his confidence a little bit in the last few races,” said then-team boss Christian Horner.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda’s future with the Austrian racing team – and in Formula 1 in general – remains unclear. As things stand, Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar is considered the favorite to take Tsunoda’s cockpit in the Red Bull team for 2026. Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad is also said to be a candidate for the Racing Bulls. This would mean that Tsunoda and Lawson would be fighting for the last available seat in the sister team.
Red Bull and Racing Bulls are the last two teams that have not yet confirmed their driver lineups for 2026. For the driver who ends up empty-handed, the only option is likely to be to look for a contract as a reserve driver, otherwise they may have to move to another racing series.
There are still two race weekends left in the 2025 season. The Qatar Grand Prix marks the last sprint race of the year before Formula 1 heads to Abu Dhabi for the grand finale next week. In theory, that means two race weekends for Tsunoda to convince the Red Bull bosses.
