Red Bull says goodbye to Tsunoda: why the Japanese driver is leaving

When Yuki Tsunoda made the switch from Racing Bulls to Red Bull Racing, the Japanese driver was full of confidence. He claimed to be ready for the tough task of being Max Verstappen's teammate and looked forward to a successful season.

Things turned out quite differently: after ten Grand Prix weekends, Tsunoda has only accumulated seven points for the Austrian racing team.

It is now clear that Tsunoda will not return to Red Bull Racing after the current season, as has been internally confirmed. Honda is interested in taking the Japanese along to Aston Martin, where the Japanese will supply the engines starting from 2026. Tsunoda has been prominently proposed by the manufacturer to become the test and reserve driver of the team.

A spot on the F1 grid from 2026 seems to be extremely challenging for Tsunoda, who will nonetheless be remembered as the greatest F1 japanese driver of all time. More than a decent driver for the midfield is not what Tsunoda turned out to be, as became clear this season at Red Bull Racing.

Why did the adventure at Red Bull Racing not work out? The reasons are many. Naturally, Tsunoda was unlucky that the RB21 is a car with a very narrow working window; something the Japanese could only work with sporadically - unlike Max Verstappen.

While Max Verstappen can clearly guide his engineers with his technical knowledge and social skills, this way of working is not in Tsunoda. Japanese culture is one where the group has a say, not the individual. When the Austrian team asked Tsunoda to make independent decisions, it seemed like the Japanese driver was petrified. This even resulted in crashes, for example in Imola.

This possibly explains the difference as to why Tsunoda regularly excelled at Racing Bulls; a team that had a much 'easier' car for him, and who asked little of Tsunoda outside of racing.

The fact that Red Bull Racing does not have a driver in Tsunoda who can help the team make technical advances is a significant reason to part ways. With the new 2026 cars - which are supposed to undergo huge developments over the coming years - a driver is needed who doesn't just point out areas of concern, but also comes up with specific improvements.

From that point of view, it remains to be seen if a job as a test driver is something that suits Tsunoda. If he does indeed move with Honda to Aston Martin, it seems more like a favor than something that will greatly benefit Aston Martin.

Of course, these shortcomings would have been more easily accepted if Tsunoda had been successful in the RB21 or at least had come closer to matching Max Verstappen. That he didn't succeed is the proverbial last straw for the racing team to thank Tsunoda for his efforts.