Yuki Tsunoda admits ‘every race is crucial’ as Red Bull future questioned

Red Bull Racing driver Yuki Tsunoda has admitted that “every race is crucial” in helping him determine his future with the team, with his main goal for 2026 being to remain in the same seat.

It’s a statement that comes during the pre-race build-up ahead of the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix and in the aftermath of Red Bull special advisor Helmut Marko pointing out that the Mexico City Grand Prix is a likely choice point for the team to decide on the seat alongside Max Verstappen.

Yuki Tsunoda keen to stay with Red Bull, despite challenges

With Max Verstappen confirming that he’ll remain with Red Bull Racing despite prior negotiations with teams like Mercedes, all eyes have turned to the Milton Keynes team’s second seat.

That seat is currently occupied by Yuki Tsunoda, who was promoted from the outfit’s sister team just three races into the F1 2025 season, when Red Bull determined that full-season rookie Liam Lawson was not the driver it needed to help wrangle the challenging RB21.

But the RB21 has remained challenging; Verstappen was able to snag his third victory of the year last time out in Monza, but Tsunoda hasn’t been so lucky. Since joining Red Bull Racing, he’s only managed to acquire four points-paying finishes. His total of 12 points sees him languishing in 19th in the Drivers’ standings, with major deficits to Racing Bulls drivers Isack Hadjar and Lawson.

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Tsunoda’s future at Red Bull Racing, then, seems very much in doubt, and the rumor mill was given even more fodder when the team’s special advisor Helmut Marko told ORF before Dutch Grand Prix qualifying that the team will be making its F1 2026 line-up decision “around Mexico.”

That leaves just four grands prix in which to prove himself.

But speaking to media ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit, Tsunoda has denied that he’s feeling any outsized pressure, even if he understands that every race matters.

“I think it’s the same as what I said previously,” he said in regard to ongoing rumors.

“I heard today there are a lot of apparent speculation, but I was not really watching the media to pay attention. I don’t know.

“The only thing I’m thinking about is just staying at Red Bull for next year.”

Tsunoda’s confidence comes from the fact that he feels Red Bull has been able to address the ongoing issues with the RB21’s long-run pace, and that the team has seen him improve.

“The team worked hard to understand what’s the issue causing the long-run pace and even actually in free practices, the things that we experienced is things that the team can’t really explain,” he said.

“That’s the main thing, that’s what we’re struggling at. In terms of short run, very happy with it. I think the team are very happy.

“It’s clear that I’m showing that race by race I’m getting closer to Max. I think that [I’m] definitely showing well and definitely peopler are noticing in this team.”

Asked directly about Marko’s Mexico warning, Tsunoda replied, “I’m not really thinking much about the future to be honest.

“Every race is crucial this moment, that’s true. But I just keep delivering the results, showing some brightness every race, and let them decide what they want to do.

“The only things I’m thinking about is staying with Red Bull next year, so I’m not really thinking much on the situation of going back to Racing Bulls or whatever.

But if that happens, I’ll think about that, when that happens.

“It’s a team I stayed with for a lot of years, and I know the people, but at the same time, I moved on already to another chapter.”

Why so much speculation about Tsunoda’s future? There are several reasons for concern, and his relative lack of performance in comparison to Verstappen is only one such factor.

The F1 2025 season represents Red Bull’s final year as a Honda-powered team. Heading into 2026, the team will partner with Ford under its Red Bull Power Trains banner to develop its own power units, while Honda has forced an allegiance with Aston Martin.

Tsunoda’s path to Formula 1 was propelled by Honda, with whom he inked a deal in 2016.

The automaker had created something called the Honda Formula Dream Project, which is designed to support young racers on their way up the ladder to professional motorsport, and Tsunoda has been a longtime recipient of that program’s institutional backing — something that is often required of young drivers looking to break into Formula 1’s ultra-competitive and extremely limited driver market.

That isn’t to say Tsunoda’s future in F1 is fully reliant on Honda, only to pinpoint an additional layer of uncertainty that will certainly be on his mind during these upcoming events.

Rookie Isack Hadjar has been strongly suggested to be a candidate for Red Bull’s second seat following his stunning podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix.

But the future of the team still remains up in the air.

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