Aston Martin issues statement as Yuki Tsunoda rumours enter overdrive
Could Yuki Tsunoda become Aston Martin's reserve driver for F1 2026?
Aston Martin has told PlanetF1.com that it will announce its full driver roster for the F1 2026 season “in due course” amid rumours that Yuki Tsunoda could join as a reserve driver.
It comes after Felipe Drugovich, one of Aston Martin’s current reserve drivers, announced that he is to join Andretti for the 2025/26 Formula E season.
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As reported by PlanetF1.com, Drugovich confirmed last week that he will make a full-time return to racing competition with the Andretti Formula E outfit later this year.
The Brazilian driver’s permanent switch to the all-electric series comes after he made two Formula E starts last season as a substitute for former Williams and AlphaTauri F1 racer Nyck de Vries, recording a best result of seventh place in Berlin.
Despite winning the prestigious F2 (previously GP2) title in 2022, Drugovich has struggled to force his way into Aston Martin’s plans for a race seat over recent years with the team’s race drivers Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll under contract.
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Drugovich has been limited to test and FP1 outings for Aston Martin over the last three seasons, most recently at this season’s Hungarian Grand Prix where he deputised for Alonso in opening practice.
Fellow Aston Martin reserve driver Stoffel Vandoorne has juggled his F1 commitments with his racing activities in Formula E and the World Endurance Championship over recent years.
However, PlanetF1.com understands from sources close to the situation that Drugovich is poised to cut ties with Aston Martin ahead of the new Formula E season, which begins in his homeland of Brazil on December 6.
Drugovich’s likely departure will create a vacancy in Aston Martin’s driver roster for the F1 2026 season, with current Red Bull racer Tsunoda expected to be among the names in the frame.
Tsunoda is widely expected to lose his Red Bull Racing seat to Isack Hadjar for F1 2026 season, with the departure of his long-term backer Honda casting doubt over the Japanese driver’s future within the Red Bull family.
Aston Martin will begin its highly anticipated technical partnership with Honda next season as Red Bull produces its own engines for the first time via its newly established Powertrains division, working in collaboration with US giant Ford.
In a statement provided to PlanetF1.com on Tuesday, Aston Martin confirmed that its full driver roster for the F1 2026 will be announced “in due course.”
The team said: “Aston Martin Aramco have Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll contracted as race drivers until the end of 2026.
“The wider driving squad for next year will be announced in due course.”
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Tsunoda, who made his F1 debut with AlphaTauri (now Racing Bulls) in 2021, has largely struggled since replacing Liam Lawson at Red Bull’s senior team after two races of the F1 2025 season.
Tsunoda has scored points in just five of his 15 appearances for Red Bull Racing to date, going seven rounds without a point between the Monaco and Hungarian grands prix before the summer break.
The 25-year-old has shown improved performances since the season resumed last month, claiming his best result for Red Bull by finishing sixth at the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
However, Tsunoda failed to pass Lawson’s Racing Bulls car for fifth place despite the aid of DRS and having medium tyres 18 laps fresher than his rival’s hards.
Tsunoda commented last year that Aston Martin could “maybe” emerge as his most likely long-term destination due to the team’s burgeoning relationship with Honda.
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It emerged earlier this month that Tsunoda is poised to be replaced by Hadjar as Max Verstappen’s teammate for next season, with reports indicating that F2 star Arvid Lindblad is to replace the French-Algerian at Racing Bulls.
If true, that would theoretically leave Tsunoda and Lawson competing for the final Racing Bulls seat alongside Lindblad for F1 2026.
Recent rumours claimed that Tsunoda could even be replaced in the aftermath of next month’s Mexican Grand Prix, with Hadjar promoted to Red Bull for the final four races of this season to gain a headstart on his F1 2026 preparations.
However, PlanetF1.com has learned that such claims are wide of the mark.
Ralf Schumacher, the Sky F1 Germany pundit, recently raised the suggestion that both Tsunoda and Lawson could be left without a seat for F1 2026 if Racing Bulls opt for an all-new driver pairing of Lindblad and Alex Dunne.
PlanetF1.com revealed earlier this month that Dunne, the McLaren junior star currently competing in F2, has attracted the interest of Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko.
Marko is understood to have held face-to-face meetings with Dunne and his representatives, although it’s thought these discussions have primarily been for establishing initial contact rather than being with an eye to a 2026 agreement.
Current race drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are under long-term contracts with McLaren, meaning Dunne is highly unlikely to land an opportunity with the Woking-based team in the near future.
McLaren last year demonstrated an inclination to let its junior stars to pursue opportunities elsewhere, agreeing to allow newly crowned F2 champion Gabriel Bortoleto to take up a race seat with Sauber for the F1 2025 season.
Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher
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