It was on the Suzuka circuit that Yuki Tsunoda he was promoted to official Red Bull driver last season, taking over from Liam Lawson after just two races. Today, a year after that home debut, the Japanese driver is once again busy on the Japanese track, but this time as test driver for the Milton Keynes team in a Pirelli test for the 2027 tyres. After a championship that did not live up to expectations, Tsunoda is now present in the team in the role of third driver, with his activity mainly concentrated on the simulator.
The Japanese was the only one to have lost a place in F1 at the end of the 2025 world championship, but the desire to return to the track is there, and was also there at the end of the last world championship, when there was actually the opportunity to continue his career elsewhere: “It’s not that I can’t run – he commented to the local media – if I wanted to race, I would have chosen to race with another team. In this sense, I chose not to run; the goal was to stay in Formula 1. I don’t feel incapable of racing at all. It was a decision made considering my career, so I don’t regret it.”
Tsunoda himself has clarified what will be his main objective for next season, which will not only be to return to F1 in 2027but to do it with the Red Bull family: “For now, I will accompany the team to the races from Friday onwards and give them advice. By working on the simulator, I can choose the days to be present and, physically, I feel better than ever. Next year I would like to race again with the team I raced with beforebut this year I enjoyed the race as a spectator, along with everyone else.” Since this is a difficult goal to reach, the Japanese will have to take other categories into consideration if his return to F1 does not materialize. Already in the past, Tsunoda had been linked to IndyCara championship which then opened the doors to two other former F1 drivers such as Romain Grosjean and Mick Schumacher. Alternatively, the new cars Gen4 of Formula E are attracting the attention of several drivers, but Tsunoda’s priority always remains F1.
