Tsunoda is back where he wants to be, and suddenly an F1 future beckons

Barely a month ago, Yuki Tsunoda seemed to be walking around with his heart on his sleeve in the F1 paddock and the Red Bull Energy Station. Max Verstappen’s former teammate didn’t hide his disappointment about his reserve role after years of being a full-time Formula 1 driver. “Boring,” Tsunoda told GPblog in Budapest when this site asked how he was doing.

Isack Hadjar’s misfortune has unexpectedly given Tsunoda a reason to smile again. On the top floor of the Red Bull teams’ hospitality, a beaming Tsunoda sits down, and GPblog immediately remarks out loud that the Japanese driver is glowing. “I can’t be sad!” he responds.

The chance came at a completely unexpected moment. Tsunoda was lying on a beach in Greece when his manager got a call. Whether the Japanese driver could travel to England as soon as possible, because Hadjar had been injured and Tsunoda was the designated man to step in as a substitute. Not at Red Bull Racing, which called up Liam Lawson. But at Racing Bulls, where Tsunoda takes the seat of the New Zealand driver.

The fact that Tsunoda doesn’t get to step in at Red Bull Racing again doesn’t bother him. “I’m already grateful enough to have a seat. I don't really mind which car I’d be driving, because both teams are performing well, especially Racing Bulls this year. At Racing Bulls I have been here for many years and as soon as I wore this white jersey, I felt really at home."

It’s not out of the question that Tsunoda’s return could extend beyond a single Grand Prix. Hadjar has suffered a wrist fracture, and that type of injury can take quite a while to heal. Red Bull hasn’t made a decision about Hadjar’s return yet, but Tsunoda certainly won’t mind racing more often. Perhaps the Japanese driver can put himself in the shop window for other F1 teams with a view to 2027.

Asked about this by GPblog, he said: “It's always good to perform, which I'm always aiming for. I think to be honest, having this and not having this kind of opportunity is, I guess a lot different because it's always chatting with teams, it's always selling myself with talking, but you always want to prove that by driving, so it's good."

There likely won’t be many spots available in Formula 1 for next season. Nonetheless, Tsunoda doesn’t want to give up on the dream of a permanent return. For the moment, at least: “My focus is always on Formula 1. My goal is to be there. But I don’t want to stand in the garage for two years; I want to drive as well. If there's something that didn't potentially happen or couldn't find a seat for next year, I may have to look at other series."