Only a ‘matter of time’ for Yuki Tsunoda with crushing Red Bull solution teased
Yuki Tsunoda has yet to learn his Red Bull fate
Former Formula E racer Sam Bird has weighed in on the fate of Red Bull Racing’s Yuki Tsunoda, wondering if it wouldn’t make sense for the team to drop the Japanese driver now in favor of Isack Hadjar.
In Bird’s reckoning, doing so would allow Hadjar to find his footing at the top-tier team before the introduction of F1’s 2026 regulatory set, theoretically allowing for an easier integration into the team.
Yuki Tsunoda Red Bull future in doubt
Former Formula E driver Sam Bird believes that it’s only “a matter of time” until Yuki Tsunoda is dropped by Red Bull Racing, with that call coming perhaps as early as this season.
Tsunoda’s future with the team is very much in doubt as the sport moves into a new regulatory era come 2026. The Japanese driver’s allegiance lies primarily with Honda, who will be leaving Red Bull for Aston Martin next season.
Further, Tsunoda’s performances since taking over the top-tier seat from Liam Lawson at the Japanese Grand Prix has left much to be desired.
At the moment, Red Bull Racing sits fourth in the constructors’ standings with 290 points — 273 of which have been scored by Max Verstappen. Tsunoda, for his own part, sits 17th in the Drivers’ Championship standings, behind the Racing Bulls duo of Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar.
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According to Red Bull Racing special advisor Helmut Marko, the team is hoping to settle on its 2026 driver line-up sometime around the Mexico City Grand Prix, which is just three weeks away. Without a miracle in Austin, it seems as if Tsunoda’s shot at retaining his current role is slim.
And in fact, Bird took to the BBC Chequered Flag podcast to argue that Tsunoda could even lose his seat entirely before the conclusion of 2025.
“He got lapped by his teammate and by the frontrunners,” Bird pointed out of the Japanese driver’s performance in Singapore.
“It’s only a matter of time now before he vacates that seat. It’s a matter of ‘when,’ not ‘if.’ Is it gonna happen during the end of this season?”
One major name in line for the promotion is Isack Hadjar. The 21-year-old Franco-Algerian driver has worked his way up to the top 10 in the drivers’ championship standings, in large part courtesy of his podium at the Dutch Grand Prix and his consistency in the midst of a challenging midfield.
Thus, it’s Hadjar whose name came to Bird when he suggested Tsunoda’s potential replacement.
“Would they give someone like Isack Hadjar a chance and go, ‘Look, you’ve got six races now at the big team; there’s no pressure. Get settled in. Learn about your engineer, learn about the way that they work. Learn about how to cope with the Max Verstappen car that we will build you in the future — because we’re not going to build you a car. We’re going to build Max Verstappen a car and see if you can hang onto it,'” Bird hypothesized.
It would not be out of the realm of possibility; Red Bull indeed signed Liam Lawson to its top team when the Kiwi driver had fewer races under his belt than Hadjar does now.
Indeed, it could even serve Hadjar well to have the ability to get to understand the inner workings of Red Bull Racing if the team intends to sign him. However, new Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies stated in early September that the team does not intend to change during the season.
But the team’s intentions are unclear, as intent can always change depending on the circumstances and as Red Bull is notorious for its mid-season driver swaps.
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