Yuki Tsunoda vows to fight back after "incredibly tough" loss of Red Bull F1 seat

Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda says he is determined to work his way back to a Formula 1 race seat after losing his 2026 drive.

On Tuesday, Red Bull confirmed that Isack Hadjar would replace Tsunoda for the 2026 season, with 18-year-old youngster Arvid Lindblad taking Hadjar's vacant seat at its Racing Bulls sister squad.

With all 2026 race seats now accounted for, the 25-year-old Japanese will move into a test and reserve role for Red Bull next year. This means Tsunoda will spend a year on the sidelines following his five-year stint in F1 as a race driver. 

Making his first public statement since the news was announced, Tsunoda admitted losing his seat was "incredibly tough", but said he is determined to fight his way back onto the F1 grid.

"Finding out I won’t have a race seat in 2026 was incredibly tough, but I’m determined to work harder than ever with Red Bull as test and reserve driver to develop with the team, and prove I deserve a place on the grid," Tsunoda posted on his social media accounts.

"Life’s full of setbacks, and this is mine. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be."

Tsunoda pays the price for lacklustre results in the second Red Bull car, scoring only 30 points since being promoted ahead of the third race of the season in Japan, while team-mate Max Verstappen is still in contention for the world title at this weekend's Abu Dhabi season finale.

Photo by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Images via Getty Images

Tsunoda showed glimpses of speed in the tricky-to-drive Red Bull RB21 and qualified close to Verstappen on several occasions, but never managed to gain any momentum due to a variety of mistakes - some of his own making and some on the team's side. A costly crash in qualifying for May's Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix had the most crippling effect, denting his confidence in the car and putting him behind on upgrades compared to Verstappen for a long time. 

Announcing the news, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies paid tribute to Tsunoda, after having also worked with him at Racing Bulls. "Through his five seasons so far in Formula 1, Yuki has matured into a complete racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and capable of exceptional starts and excellent race craft on Sunday," Mekies said.

"Everyone in the sport would agree it is impossible not to like Yuki, his personality is infectious, and he has become a very special part of the Red Bull family. On behalf of everyone at Red Bull, I thank him for what he has contributed so far, and we know he will provide invaluable support to the 2026 projects moving forward."