Yuki Tsunoda put in a strong performance during his surprise appearance at Zandvoort and is now hoping for a chance to make a comeback—with a clear message
Yuki Tsunoda was thrown in at the deep end at the Dutch Grand Prix, but he delivered an impressive performance: The Japanese driver had to step in at the last minute for Racing Bulls and, in a solid race, finished in 11th place—ahead of his teammate Arvid Lindblad.
But when asked by Motorsport.com whether this had improved his chances of a permanent return to Formula 1, Tsunoda didn’t have a quick answer at first.
The Japanese driver took a long time to think it over. After seven seconds, he finally looked up and laughed: “That’s cheeky, isn’t it?” After another pause of more than 15 seconds, Tsunoda even turned to the Racing Bulls press officer and asked her if—and how—he should best answer the question.
Since she then directed him back to the Japanese journalists, Tsunoda ultimately had little time left for an answer: “Please give me a call!” the 26-year-old said, addressing all Formula 1 teams—knowing full well that there are almost no open seats for 2027.
Tsunoda Would Rather Drive in Formula 1 Than IndyCar in 2027
Although Tsunoda has recently been linked to a move to the IndyCar Series, his priority remains Formula 1. With his performance at Zandvoort, he was at least able to prove that he can be competitive even under the complex technical conditions of the current generation of Formula 1.
“It’s definitely better to have this opportunity than to have no opportunity at all and thus not be able to show what I can do under these rules.” Tsunoda made a good impression overall during his impromptu comeback.
The Racing Bulls driver managed to stay close to his teammate Arvid Lindblad in lap times throughout the entire weekend. In both qualifying sessions, he qualified in twelfth place and finished the race in 11th—ahead of Lindblad.
“To be honest, I think I was able to make progress faster than I expected. Since my last race in Abu Dhabi, I’ve only driven four times in eight months. And for that, I did pretty well,” said the Racing Bulls driver after the race.
Tsunoda Quickly Gets Used to the 2026 Car
The Japanese driver admitted that the transition from the ground-effect cars he had grown accustomed to in recent years to the current vehicles had certainly been a challenge. On a high-energy track like Zandvoort, energy management wasn’t the decisive factor, but the adjustment was significant.
Although Tsunoda had already tested the Red Bull extensively in the simulator this year, he hadn’t tested the Racing Bulls. And even though the two cars are closely related, the real car’s behavior differs significantly from that in the simulation.
“I think the hardest part was actually everything—lots of things: learning the deployment, the buttons, everything; all the procedures are different. And this race was also demanding because of tire degradation; the degradation behavior was completely different, too.”
“So it was mainly about how to adapt to it. But to be honest, the team really supported me,” praises last year’s Red Bull driver, who returned to his former team. “They made it easy for me to drive as fast as possible.”
“It’s a shame I didn’t score any points, but I’ll take it as it is,” says Tsunoda. “I was battling drivers for eighth or ninth place right up until the last few laps, I’d say.” And that’s why, after his performance at Zandvoort, one message in particular stands out for the teams looking ahead to 2027: “Please give me a call!”
