It was at the Suzuka circuit that Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to official Red Bull driver last season, taking Liam Lawson’s place after only two races held. Today, a year after that home debut, the Japanese driver is once again busy on the Japanese track, but this time as a test driver for the Milton Keynes team in a Pirelli test for the 2027 tires. After a championship that did not live up to expectations, Tsunoda is now present in the team in the role of third driver, with his activity focusing mainly on the simulator.
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The Japanese driver was the only one to have lost a seat in F1 at the end of the 2025 world championship, but the desire to return to the track is there, and it was also there at the end of the last world championship, when there was actually the opportunity to continue his career elsewhere: “It’s not that I can’t race – he commented to local media – if I had wanted to race, I would have chosen to race with another team. In this sense, I chose not to race; the goal was to stay in Formula 1. I don’t feel incapable of racing at all. It was a decision made considering my career, so I don’t regret it.”
Tsunoda himself clarified what his main goal for next season will be, which will be not only to return to F1 in 2027, but to do so with the Red Bull family: “For now, I will accompany the team to the races from Friday onwards and give them advice. Working at the simulator, I can choose the days to be present and, physically, I feel better than ever. Next year I would like to race again with the team I raced with before, but this year I have enjoyed the race as a spectator, along with everyone else.”
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Since it is a goal that is difficult to achieve anyway, the Japanese driver will have to consider other categories if his return to F1 does not materialize. In the past, Tsunoda had already been linked to IndyCar, a championship that then opened its doors to two other former F1 drivers like Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher. Alternatively, the new Gen4 Formula E cars are attracting the attention of several drivers, but Tsunoda’s priority remains F1.
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