Yuki Tsunoda Shares Heartbreaking Admission Over Shock Red Bull Exit

The elite levels of motorsport are fickle at the best of times. Small margins can make or break a race, or season, or, in the case of Yuki Tsunoda, potentially a career.

Having entered F1 in 2021, the Japanese phenom impressed over four seasons at AlphaTauri, who are now Racing Bulls, before making the move to Red Bull after Liam Lawson was dropped two races into 2025.

His time at Red Bull was not ideal, though, and with a race to go, he sits 15th in the drivers' standings on 33 points, with three of those points scored while he was not a Red Bull driver.

It was recently announced that Isack Hadjar would be stepping up to Red Bull from Racing Bulls, while Arvid Lindblad moved up from F2 to take Hadjar's seat, leaving Tsunoda without a drive for 2026.

Tsunoda reveals that his worst mistake was saying he 'didn't have any regrets' over Red Bull move

In theory, a move to Red Bull was perfect for Yuki Tsunoda. 2024 saw the Austrian team establish itself slightly further down the pecking order, finishing third in the Constructors' Championship, but three team titles in 2021, 2022, and 2023 showed the team knew how to build a strong car.

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Tsunoda himself had also come off a good year with Racing Bulls, with 30 points over the year enough to secure him 12th place in the standings, with more points combined than his two team-mates that year, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson, as the duo only managed 16 points collectively.

Liam Lawson was moved back to Racing Bulls after a two-race stint at Red Bull to start 2025, and will stay at the sister team for 2026. | Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

On having regrets over his early-season move away from Racing Bulls, Tsunoda was brutally honest when asked about his decision in Thursday's press conference before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

"Probably [my biggest mistake was that] I was saying that I didn't have any regrets. The only regret I have is missing out that pretty good f***ing car, but also throwing away your kids, your baby, because it's the car that I developed with the team throughout the years since we had this regulation and I'm sure there's my DNA inside as well."
Tsunoda on his decision to join Red Bull

It was only revealed to Tsunoda that he would not be racing for Red Bull next year after the Qatar Grand Prix in Lusail, to which he admitted he felt hurt by.

"I'm disappointed obviously and pissed off and how I was told was it was right after the race, from Helmut, yeah privately, that I'm not going to race next year so I think that's it."
Tsunoda on not racing in F1 for 2026

On his current mental state, he stated that he was keeping his head above water despite finding the situation hard.

"I'm okay - I mean, not okay, but I'm surviving okay - the day after [hearing the news of being dropped], [in] the morning I ordered breakfast as usual"
Tsunoda on his morale

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