Yuki Tsunoda will be driving his – for now – final race in Formula 1 during the upcoming race weekend in Abu Dhabi. The young Japanese driver was dismissed by the Red Bull team management after the GP of Qatar; Isack Hadjar will inherit his seat in 2026. Like many of his predecessors, Tsunoda faded this season next to star driver Max Verstappen. However, the 25-year-old driver believes he has held up better than the ‘average’ drivers.
Following the GP of Qatar, Tsunoda stated, just before the news of his dismissal, that other drivers might not have lasted as long in his seat. After he took over the second Red Bull seat from Liam Lawson in April, he too fell victim to Verstappen’s supremacy. However, he points to force majeure, such as the lack of pace in the RB21 at the beginning of the season and the fact that he often did not receive the same upgrades as the Dutchman. According to Tsunoda, he has shown what he is capable of in the last races, when his car was ‘identical’ to that of Verstappen.
“Especially in the last three races, the team has supported me incredibly hard,” Tsunoda told the press in Qatar. “I was finally able to drive with a car that was almost identical to Max’s, and I think I proved a lot in it. I was always within two or three tenths,” the Japanese driver noted. “During the past race weekend in Las Vegas, I was very consistent in the free practices and faster than Max in multiple laps. Yesterday, during the sprint qualification, I was able to support him and qualified before him.”
‘An Average Driver Wouldn’t Have Survived’
During the regular qualification at the Losail International Circuit, Tsunoda fell back. “That was a bit disappointing, but in reality, I was still only three-tenths behind him. Normally, that’s good enough for a spot in the top five.” Tsunoda believes that under the right circumstances, he could have gotten closer to Verstappen than his predecessors, including Daniel Ricciardo, Pierre Gasly, Alexander Albon, Sergio Perez, and Lawson.
“So yes, I think I’ve shown what I can do,” he continued proudly. “And I don’t think others within my team were as consistent and got as close. From what I can remember from the past few years, there haven’t been many drivers who could make such a leap halfway through the season. Especially considering the difficult moments we experienced at the beginning of the season. The pace is there, and I don’t think an average driver could have survived in my seat.”
