Few moments in Formula 1 can tell you more about a driver’s standing than a sudden interruption during a live interview — exactly what happened to Yuki Tsunoda on March 23, 2025, when a Red Bull official steered him away from questions about former teammate Liam Lawson. The incident exposed the tight contract restrictions and internal politics that have shaped Tsunoda’s turbulent 2025 season.

4 related posts

First Red Bull race: 2025 Japanese Grand Prix ·
Interview incident date: March 23, 2025 ·
Contract restriction: Prohibited 2026 seat talks with other teams ·
Former teammate at Racing Bulls: Liam Lawson ·
F1 career wins: 0 ·
F1 teams driven for: Scuderia AlphaTauri / Racing Bulls (2021-2024), Red Bull Racing (2025)

Quick snapshot

1The Interview Incident
2Contract Restrictions
  • Red Bull contract prohibited 2026 seat talks with other teams (RacingNews365)
  • Revealed by Tsunoda in December 2025
  • Restricted his ability to negotiate early
3Red Bull Seat History
4Future Outlook

Nine key facts paint the picture of Tsunoda’s career arc and the turning point that upended it.

Fact Value
Full name Yuki Tsunoda
Age at first Red Bull race 24
F1 debut 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
Team 2021-2022 Scuderia AlphaTauri
Team 2023-2024 Racing Bulls
Team 2025 Red Bull Racing
Highest championship finish 12th (2024)
Interview incident date March 23, 2025
Contract restriction revealed December 4, 2025

Why didn’t Yuki Tsunoda get the Red Bull seat?

The role of the Abu Dhabi test

  • Red Bull evaluated both Tsunoda and Lawson during the post-season test in Abu Dhabi, with Lawson ultimately getting the nod for 2025 (Sky Sports).
  • Christian Horner said the swap was a “purely sporting decision” intended to protect and develop Lawson after two difficult races (Sky Sports).

Lawson’s early promotion

  • Liam Lawson, a Red Bull junior, was fast-tracked ahead of Tsunoda after just 11 F1 starts (Motorsport.com, motorsport news).
  • Horner had publicly questioned whether keeping Tsunoda in the Red Bull family made sense if he wasn’t promoted (Motorsport.com).

Team politics and performance metrics

  • Tsunoda’s strong 2024 season (12th in championship) wasn’t enough to overcome internal preference for Lawson.
  • Reportedly, the interview incident on March 23, 2025, where Tsunoda was pulled away, may have cooled Red Bull’s trust in his media handling.

Bottom line: Red Bull chose Lawson because they viewed him as a higher-upside investment, while Tsunoda’s contract trap and a single media misstep reportedly sealed his fate. For Tsunoda, the window to prove himself at Red Bull Racing opened later than he hoped – and closed faster than he expected.

Does Yuki Tsunoda have a seat for 2026?

Current contract situation

  • Tsunoda revealed on December 4, 2025 that his Red Bull contract expressly prohibits him from discussing a 2026 seat with any other team (RacingNews365).
  • He said there were “a couple of interests from externally” but the contract prevented talks.

Red Bull’s driver lineup for 2026

  • Red Bull confirmed Isack Hadjar will replace Tsunoda alongside Max Verstappen in 2026 (RacingNews365).
  • Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will drive for Racing Bulls; Tsunoda moves to a test and reserve role (RACER).

Possibility of leaving Red Bull

  • Tsunoda said he “didn’t have options” due to the contract clamp (RACER).
  • He learned he would not have a race seat in 2026 straight after the Qatar race (RacingNews365).

Bottom line: Tsunoda has no confirmed 2026 race seat. The contract ban effectively locked him out of the open market, leaving reserve driver status as his only guaranteed option inside Red Bull. For Tsunoda, the choice is accept a reduced role or force a buyout.

Why is Yuki Tsunoda leaving Red Bull?

He’s not leaving – he’s being replaced

  • Tsunoda’s removal from a race seat was a team decision, not his own exit. Red Bull promoted Hadjar ahead of him (RacingNews365).
  • Tsunoda called it “pissed off” but said he was proud of his pace (RACER).

The Honda effect

  • With Honda leaving the Red Bull partnership after 2025, Tsunoda – a Honda-backed driver – loses his main political patron inside the team.
  • Red Bull’s engine deal with Ford from 2026 shifts the power balance away from Japanese ties.

Internal reshuffle

  • Red Bull is reshaping its driver pipeline: Lawson and Hadjar are seen as younger, cheaper options.
  • Tsunoda’s five-year tenure with Red Bull’s junior team made him a veteran without the seniority to resist replacement.

Bottom line: Tsunoda isn’t walking away – he’s being pushed aside by a systematic youth promotion cycle. The Honda exit removes his strategic value, making him an expensive spare part in a team that rewards cost control.

Did Tsunoda regret leaving Racing Bulls?

What Tsunoda said about regret

  • Tsunoda expressed regret over a disappointing 2025 season, not over leaving Racing Bulls specifically (RacingNews365).
  • He said his only regret was not performing better in 2025.

Comparison of performance at RB vs Racing Bulls

  • At Racing Bulls, Tsunoda consistently outperformed teammates: he beat Lawson in 2024 head-to-head.
  • At Red Bull, the car was notoriously difficult, and Tsunoda struggled to match Max Verstappen’s pace.

The Instagram post from The Race

  • A social media post from The Race quoted a fan sentiment calling Tsunoda’s season “painful” to watch.
  • Tsunoda himself admitted frustration but maintained he gave his best.

Bottom line: Tsunoda’s regret is professional, not nostalgic. He doesn’t wish he’d stayed at Racing Bulls – he wishes he’d been faster in the car he had. The contrast between his feeder-team dominance and his senior-team struggles is the real story.

Why is Yuki Tsunoda struggling?

Performance metrics in 2025

  • Tsunoda scored points in early races but dropped off mid-season, finishing with single-digit points in the second half of the year.
  • His qualifying gap to Verstappen averaged over 0.3 seconds per lap.

Adaptation to the Red Bull car

  • The Red Bull RB21 has a notoriously sharp front-end that rewards aggressive driving, a style Tsunoda tried to adopt but struggled to sustain.
  • Setup issues plagued his weekends, and he lacked the development influence enjoyed by a veteran like Sergio Pérez.

Pressure and expectations

  • Media scrutiny intensified after the interview incident. A Facebook post from Crash.net described his performances as “painful.”
  • Tsunoda’s confidence reportedly took a hit, leading to a cycle of mistakes and defensive driving.

Bottom line: Tsunoda’s struggles are a mix of car incompatibility, mounting pressure, and limited development support. The raw talent is there – but Red Bull’s machinery amplifies flaws rather than forgiving them.

Pros & Cons of Tsunoda’s current situation

Upsides

  • Remains in F1 as Red Bull reserve driver with access to top-tier facilities.
  • Honda connection keeps him on the radar of teams exploring Japanese partnerships.
  • Proven record at junior-team level – a benchmark for any future move.
  • Experience across two F1 teams provides adaptability for mid-pack options.

Downsides

  • Contract ban prevents early negotiations, leaving him reliant on a potential buyout.
  • Reserve driver role offers little race time and no guarantee of a 2027 seat.
  • Red Bull’s powerful management can effectively block opportunities with rival teams.
  • Loss of race seat after only one season at the top team damages market value.
The catch

Tsunoda’s career is a prisoner of the very system that developed him. Red Bull’s junior pipeline is designed to produce drivers cheap, not to let them stay. For Tsunoda, loyalty to the Red Bull family has become a cage.

Timeline signal

  • 2021: Yuki Tsunoda makes F1 debut with Scuderia AlphaTauri.
  • End of 2024 season: Red Bull chooses Liam Lawson over Tsunoda for the 2025 seat; Tsunoda remains at Racing Bulls.
  • Early 2025: Tsunoda impresses in early races but is later dropped for Lawson.
  • March 23, 2025: Tsunoda pulled out of post-race interview by Red Bull official after question about Lawson.
  • March 27, 2025: Tsunoda confirmed for Red Bull seat at Japanese Grand Prix.
  • 2025 season: Tsunoda struggles with Red Bull car performance.
  • December 4, 2025: Tsunoda reveals contract ban on 2026 seat talks with other teams.
  • Late 2025: Speculation mounts over Tsunoda’s 2026 future.

Bottom line: From debut to demotion in five years, Tsunoda’s career arc mirrors the brutal Red Bull cycle. The timeline shows a driver who was always a placeholder – not a future star – in the team’s long-term plan.

What’s clear and what’s not

Confirmed facts

  • Tsunoda was pulled out of an interview on March 23, 2025 (RacingNews365).
  • His Red Bull contract prohibited talks with other teams for a 2026 seat (RACER).
  • He debuted for Red Bull at the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix (Sky Sports).
  • He has 0 F1 wins and 0 podiums (Formula1.com, official F1 site).

What’s unclear

  • Whether the interview incident directly affected his promotion chances.
  • If he will have a race seat for 2026.
  • Who exactly will replace him if he leaves Red Bull.
  • Whether Honda’s relationship could secure him a seat at Aston Martin or elsewhere.

The ambiguity around Tsunoda’s future highlights how much depends on Red Bull’s internal politics.

Voices from the paddock

“I didn’t have options.”

— Yuki Tsunoda, speaking to RACER

“I still want that seat. I’m not giving up.”

— Yuki Tsunoda, quoted by Motorsport.com

“It’s been painful to watch.”

— Anonymous fan comment, shared via Crash.net Facebook post

What to watch

Tsunoda’s reserve driver contract keeps him in the F1 ecosystem but at a dangerous altitude: without race seat income or visibility, his bargaining power erodes with every race he doesn’t start. The timer on his career is ticking.

These voices from inside and outside the paddock underline the pressure Tsunoda faces.

The road ahead

Yuki Tsunoda’s 2025 season started with a Red Bull dream and ended with a contract cage. The interview incident on March 23 was a symptom, not the cause, of a deeper structural problem: Red Bull’s driver system rewards early promise over proven consistency, and loyalty is a one-way street. For Tsunoda, the choice is now clear – accept a reserve role with uncertain prospects, or push for a buyout and gamble on a team like Haas or Williams that needs his experience. For Tsunoda, waiting inside the Red Bull bubble guarantees the slowest fade.

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Frequently asked questions

Why was Yuki Tsunoda pulled out of his interview?

Tsunoda was pulled away by a Red Bull official after he was asked about former teammate Liam Lawson during a post-race interview on March 23, 2025. The team likely wanted to avoid further discussion of internal driver politics.

What did Yuki Tsunoda say in the interview?

Before he was cut off, Tsunoda gave brief comments about his performance but didn’t elaborate on Lawson. The incident itself became the story, sparking widespread speculation about his standing within Red Bull.

Is Yuki Tsunoda leaving Red Bull?

Tsunoda is not leaving voluntarily. He has been demoted from a race seat to test and reserve driver for 2026, with Isack Hadjar taking his place alongside Max Verstappen.

Who might replace Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull?

Isack Hadjar has been officially confirmed as Verstappen’s teammate for 2026. Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad will drive for Racing Bulls. Tsunoda’s replacement at Red Bull is already set.

What is Yuki Tsunoda’s contract situation?

His Red Bull contract prohibits him from speaking with other teams about a 2026 race seat, effectively trapping him inside the Red Bull system until the end of 2025. He revealed this restriction on December 4, 2025.

Has Yuki Tsunoda ever won an F1 race?

No. Tsunoda has zero grand prix wins and zero podium finishes in his F1 career spanning five seasons (2021–2025).

What is Yuki Tsunoda’s net worth?

While exact figures are not publicly disclosed, estimates from various sources place Tsunoda’s net worth between $2 million and $5 million, largely from his F1 salary and Honda endorsements.

How many points does Yuki Tsunoda have in F1?

As of the end of the 2025 season, Tsunoda has scored a total of 91 championship points across 97 race starts, according to official F1 records.

The answers to these questions show that Tsunoda’s fate remains uncertain despite the official announcements.