What next for Yuki?

With Red Bull and Racing Bulls now having announced their 2026 lineups, it leaves experienced star Yuki Tsunoda without an F1 seat for the first time since 2021. With over 100 Grand Prix starts - where could he take what he’s learned in 2026?

IndyCar?

One seat remains in IndyCar, with Dale Coyne Racing yet to announce their complete driver lineup, with Dennis Hauger already announced.

Selling points? Dale Coyne uses Honda power, and Honda of course have been a huge factor in Tsunoda’s career to date.

📸 Tsunoda with IndyCar legend Scott Dixon during a demo outing with Honda last year.

The Japanese would line up against no less than SIX drivers he competed with in the 2020 F2 season; Mick Schumacher (RLL Racing), Robert Shwartzman & Callum Ilott (PREMA), Christian Lundgaard (McLaren) and Marcus Armstrong (Meyer Shank Racing) - familiar foes, and ones he’s fought well with before.

Super Formula

A racing campaign in the Japan based series would probably do the Japanese driver a lot of good - driving where he is popular, on tracks he grew up racing on.

📸Could a Super Formula campaign beckon for Tsunoda?

The 2026 grid in Super Formula is set to be stacked with talent; Rally legend Kalle Rovanperä already announced, veteran Nobuharu Matsushita returning, and multiple drivers rumoured to be close to joining, such as Jack Doohan, F2 drivers Luke Browning, Roman Stanek & Richard Verschoor, among others including returning 2025 drivers.

WEC/ELMS

He’d be a popular option for a World Endurance Championship or European Le Mans Series drive, with teams likely to be interested in his services.

📸Is an endurance career next for Tsunoda?

WEC and ELMS teams are always interested in drivers who show consistency, and before his switch to Red Bull, he was just that for whatever guise of Racing Bull or Alpha Tauri he was racing with.

Full focus on his test and reserve role

Tsunoda will be remaining part of the Red Bull family as a reserve driver, helping to develop the team off track with his experience.

📸How valuable could testing time be for Tsunoda?

With a move like this, he’d be in the paddock on race weekends, remaining ‘match fit’ for any potential call. He could also keep himself in the minds of other teams, Honda of course having a new link to Aston Martin, while Toyota’s involvement with Haas could see them keep tabs on a Japanese driver ahead of 2027, should Ollie Bearman move up to Ferrari. Time will tell.

📸 Image credits: Red Bull Content Pool, Honda Racing.