Tsunoda makes painful admission over life during troubled Red Bull spell

In 2025, the Japanese driver received what initially seemed like the best possible news, only for it to quickly turn into a nightmare when he was promoted to Red Bull alongside Max Verstappen. Liam Lawson, meanwhile, was demoted after just two races following a start to the season that was not deemed strong enough for him to continue with the team.

The comparison with the four-time world champion proved unforgiving. Tsunoda scored just 33 points over the course of the season compared to his teammate's 421, with Verstappen taking the fight for a fifth world title all the way to Abu Dhabi before ultimately missing out by just two points. Tsunoda, meanwhile, found himself on an increasingly downward trajectory, eventually losing his seat to Isack Hadjar for this season.

Speaking on the F1 Beyond The Grid podcast, Tsunoda reflected on just how much of a toll the 2025 season had taken on him. He described it as the toughest year of his career, explaining that while he had previously been able to switch off and recharge between race weekends, that became increasingly difficult as the season progressed.

The situation became particularly challenging during the second half of the year. Even when he returned home, Tsunoda found himself feeling exhausted and unable to recover the energy he would normally regain by enjoying his favourite food or spending time doing the things he loved.

As the races continued to come thick and fast amid a season of constant ups and downs, Tsunoda eventually realised that he was no longer enjoying his life and circumstances in the same way. That feeling also extended to Formula 1 itself, with the Japanese driver admitting he was no longer enjoying driving an F1 car as much as he had during his first three seasons in the championship.

“Normally I'm able to reset myself, get back this energy after I had something that I really like, if I do something that I really like. But I didn't feel that energy never came back, and the races just kept going and going, going, going. I had so much up and down, and at some point I just recognised myself that I'm not really enjoying my life, I would say, like I'm not really enjoying the situation, not really enjoying driving Formula 1 probably as much as I was doing the first three years.”

He also revealed that he sought considerable support from psychologists and trainers as he attempted to deal with the situation. However, the particularly demanding schedule during the second half of the season made that period even more difficult. At the same time, Tsunoda believes those struggles gave him an opportunity to reflect on himself more deeply than he had in any previous year.

This season, despite taking on a reserve driver role, Tsunoda has still had several opportunities to return to the Formula 1 grid with Racing Bulls due to Hadjar's injury. The Japanese driver has been called upon to contest a number of Grands Prix for the team, allowing him to get back behind the wheel and add further race appearances despite no longer holding a full-time seat.