Yuki Tsunoda finds himself a man in demand as he secures a Formula 1 return months on from his sacking at Red Bull, whilst a move to the United States’ NTT IndyCar Series also beckons.
The 26-year-old will drive for Racing Bulls at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix after Isack Hadjar suffered a broken wrist over the summer break, with Liam Lawson promoted to Red Bull.
The opportunity could be a multi-race affair based on the similar injury sustained by Daniel Ricciardo at the 2023 Dutch GP, who was forced to miss 103 days before returning at October’s United States GP.
It offers Tsunoda a chance to improve and rebuild his reputation following a tough run at Red Bull in the 2025 F1 season, where he struggled for pace compared to Max Verstappen and scored just 33 points over the year.
Tsunoda only made Q3 six times and suffered seven Q1 eliminations by contrast, whilst driving a difficult RB21 package and only managed to score points in 10 events, including Sprint Races.
He suffered crashes twice at the Saudi Arabian GP, Emilia Romagna GP, Austrian GP and the British GP whilst at the same time, Verstappen managed to take the car into the title battle against the McLarens before coming up short by two points to Lando Norris.
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He, ultimately, lost his seat at Red Bull to Hadjar, but was retained as a reserve/test driver at Milton Keynes – which has now paved the way to his return to Racing Bulls at the Dutch GP.
“Visa Cash App Racing Bulls can confirm that Liam Lawson will race for Oracle Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend,” Racing Bulls said, officially. “Due to Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury.
“As a result of the driver change, Reserve Driver Yuki Tsunoda, will race for Racing Bulls in Zandvoort this weekend, alongside Arvid Lindblad.
“We thank both Liam and Yuki for their adaptability as the teams prepare for the weekend and we wish Isack a speedy recovery.”
Tsunoda secures Formula 1 return as IndyCar move beckons
Despite how the 2025 F1 season developed, Tsunoda had started brightly and proved himself a capable driver as he secured fifth in qualifying at the Australian GP, whilst in China he qualified eighth in the Sprint Race and sixth for the Grand Prix.
Looking comfortable over one lap, he seemed to be translated his breakthrough form from the previous two seasons nicely at Racing Bulls until the situation unravelled following his move to Red Bull.
In the 2024 F1 season, the Japanese driver finished 12th in the drivers’ standings with 30 points and a total of 10 points finishes as he fended off intrateam battles with Ricciardo and Lawson.
Whilst in 2023, he emerged from Pierre Gasly’s shadow after the latter departed for Alpine and once again, Tsunoda proved to have the beating of Ricciardo and Lawson, along with Nyck de Vries.
He began to build his reputation as a capable midfield competitor and someone who deserved a chance with a top team, regardless of how it played out, and it appears not everyone has forgot that form.
According to motorsport.com, Tsunoda is in the mix for the Honda-powered and Honda-sponsored No. 66 at Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) in the NTT IndyCar Series – the United States’ top open-wheel category.
Marcus Armstrong is the current occupant of the seat but he is due to move to the No. 60 MSR car in the wake of Felix Rosenqvist’s move to the Arrow McLaren team, creating an opening for Tsunoda.
IndyCar differs to Formula 1 in several ways but namely that the series uses a largely standardised chassis. IndyCars produce less downforce and are generally heavier, creating a more physically demanding series with the absence of power steering.
Whilst in F1, Tsunoda has also been linked with a move to Haas as the team enjoy a close technical partnership and relationship with Japan’s Toyota brand, offering clear marketing potential.
