Yuki Tsunoda ‘doesn’t know what’s going on’ in alarming Red Bull update
Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda has been left without a seat for the F1 2026 season
Yuki Tsunoda has admitted he “didn’t expect” the opening day of running to be so challenging at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, conceding that he “doesn’t know what’s going on” with his Red Bull RB21.
Red Bull announced earlier this week that Tsunoda will be left without a seat for the F1 2026 season, with Isack Hadjar signed as his replacement as Max Verstappen’s teammate.
Yuki Tsunoda struggling ahead of final Red Bull appearance at Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
With rookie Arvid Lindblad promoted from F2 to partner Liam Lawson at the Racing Bulls sister team, Tsunoda has effectively been demoted to a test-and-reserve role for next season.
Tsunoda has struggled since replacing Lawson at Red Bull’s senior team ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix in April, scoring points just seven times behind the wheel of the RB21.
Tsunoda’s woes continued on Friday at Yas Marina, where he lapped almost a second slower than Verstappen and was classified 17th – ahead only of Lawson and the Alpines of Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly – in FP2.
Max Verstappen vs Yuki Tsunoda: Red Bull Racing head-to-head scores for F1 2025
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
Speaking after the session, Tsunoda admitted he was bemused by his lack of pace and the size of his deficit to Verstappen.
He said: “I didn’t expect to it to be this challenging, to be honest.
“Just too far away. I don’t know what’s going on, to be honest, but we’ll have to see why; what’s going on.
“The gap is one of the worst in the season, so let’s see.”
Asked how comfortable he felt behind the wheel of the RB21 in second practice, he added: “I didn’t feel much comfortable, let’s be honest.
“The car, I just kept sliding around, so we have to find out why and what’s causing this issue. Not really good.”
Tsunoda’s latest comments come after he admitted on Thursday that the reality of being left without a seat for F1 2026 is yet to hit home.
He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “Obviously, I’m disappointed, and p*ssed off.
“I was told [of the decision] right after the race [in Qatar], from Helmut [Marko], privately, that I’m not racing next year.
“Surprisingly, I’m OK. I’m surviving okay. The morning after, I ordered breakfast as usual, the same food.
“Probably, I’m not recognising enough it will be the last race for this year, for next year. Maybe I’ll feel more after Abu Dhabi.
“But that’s how it went and how I feel now.”
More on Yuki Tsunoda and Red Bull Racing from PlanetF1.com
Asked if he had considered exploring options with other teams while awaiting a decision from Red Bull, Tsunoda claimed that the restrictions of his contract prevented him from holding talks.
He said: “Well, I didn’t have options.
“So the thing is my contract was there, so I couldn’t do much.
“I had a couple of interests externally, but my contract doesn’t really allow me to talk a lot with them, whatever.
“So that’s why I was really focused on Red Bull and, anyway, it was my priority for the last few years, the Red Bull family, because this is where I grew up.”
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will mark the last race of Red Bull’s highly successful partnership with Honda, Tsunoda’s long-term backer.
Red Bull will produce its own engines for the first time next season via its newly established Powertrains division, which is working in collaboration with US marque Ford.
Honda, meanwhile, will enter a new technical partnership with the Aston Martin team from F1 2026.
Read next: Is Lando Norris going to choke?
