Why Red Bull should keep Yuki Tsunoda for the 2026 season - Opinion
written by Tizian Hatzmann, published 12 August 11:10pm
With the summer break underway, teams are now taking stock of their drivers´ results - and undeniably, Yuki Tsunoda´s form will be looked at the closest. Most drivers are already locked in for the 2026 season, one of them being Tsunoda´s teammate Max Verstappen. In contrast, the future of the Japanese still seems to be unclear. Helmut Marko stated that the team will still “look at performances, positive and negative” after the summer break, meaning everything is still open (F1i.com). Even though Tsunoda´s campaign in the RB21 was not breathtaking so far, first signs of improvement could be seen in Belgium, with more to be expected in the second half of the season - but this is not the only reason Red Bull should consider re-signing Yuki Tsunoda for the 2026 season. Let´s take a look at all the arguments in favor of the Japanese staying.
picture by @artoff1
Promoting stability within the team
Since Max Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing he had 6 different teammates, Tsunoda being the latest addition. With Laurent Mekies being appointed as new team principal and power struggles within the team appear to have settled down, peace can be restored in the Austrian squad. Would another change of driver ahead of the 2026 season impede this process? Definitely. Sacking Yuki Tsunoda for another prospect means: Media frenzy, internal disagreements and a driver who is not familiar with the teams´ processes. Keeping the Japanese would therefore be the best option if the team wants to preserve the foundation of stability they are building right now.
Alternative options may not offer any improvement
Taking a look at the current driver market, the top - tier drivers are already locked in for next season. Red Bull can therefore once again only promote someone from their own rows - and the options are limited. Elevating F2 talent and Red Bull junior Arvid Lindblad straight to the main squad does not seem to be the most rational option - he is, more realistically, expected to take over a seat at Racing Bulls for next season. The only options left would then be the current drivers at Racing Bulls : Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson. Lawson is unlikely to get another shot after his short, unfortunate campaign at RBR. This leaves us with Isack Hadjar, the most grounded option in this debate. Astonishing performances while driving for Red Bulls sister team, outperforming his teammate, confident and showing strong natural speed - but wait, haven´t we seen something like this before? Read this portrayal once again and replace “Isack Hadjar” with “Yuki Tsunoda” - surprisingly fitting, isn´t it? To underline the significance of this experiment, replace “Isack Hadjar” with “Pierre Gasly” and “Alex Albon” as well.
To get straight to the point - Hadjar would likely have to deal with the same problems as the Japanese now does. Obviously, the rookie impressed the whole paddock after finishing in the points multiple times now, thats not the issue, but Tsunoda had amazing times at the sister squad as well. The RB21 remains to be a very complex car that is hard to handle, which is unlikely to change for the 2026 season. Also, it can´t be overseen that the frenchman is still a rookie: Taking over that second, “cursed”, cockpit at Red Bull and being expected to deliver results immediately can break someones spirit in a flash. Promoting Hadjar would therefore be a huge gamble as there is no guarantee he will be the one withstanding that enormous pressure - leaving the team with no reasonable alternative for Tsunoda.
Support by those in charge
With Laurent Mekies being appointed team principal, Yuki Tsunoda now has a familiar face by his side, not willing to leave the Japanese to his fate. Mekies still believes in his driver, as he stated:
“Yuki is a fast guy. There is no doubt. And speed doesn't disappear.”
“Circumstances have been difficult. I know the team is very strongly behind him, trying to unlock what can be unlocked and trying to connect the dots where dots need to be connected.”
"So he has a very, very good interaction with the team. And yes, I'm confident that he will be able to show his true value in the near future.”, he said in an interview with formula1.com.
Helmut Marko also praised Tsunoda for reducing the gap to Verstappen in the last races, especially after his latest floor upgrade in Belgium. Dropping out in Q1 in Hungary was “unfortunate”, but he had the pace to be “as close as never before” to his teammate (F1i.com). Its not the first time Marko is pointing out Tsunodas abilitie. Earlier this season, talking to OE24, he stated that Tsunoda could be the first teammate of Verstappen to match his pace - high hopes from the Austrian.
The combination of Mekies´support and Markos trust could give Tsunoda the required stability to perform on a higher level and get to grips with the RB21 in the remainder of this season, and if he does so, there is no point in letting him go.
Final evaluation
While the results may not be impressive on their own so far, Yuki Tsunoda offers the best overall package when it comes to filling the second cockpit at Red Bull Racing. He already knows the processes within the team and has a strong natural pace - he just needs to unleash it in the RB21. Retaining the Japanese and therefore the full driver lineup for the 2026 season would also enhance stability within the team, especially after numerous driver changes within the last years.
With the support of Mekies and Marko, Tsunoda can rediscover his best form. There is no point in not trying, as other options for the second seat are not compelling enough at the moment. Tsunoda is the right man for Red Bull Racing, he just needs more time to convince the critics.