Yuki Tsunoda is preparing for his fifth consecutive season at Racing Bulls in 2025.
The Japanese driver scored the best finish of his F1 career so far in 2024, finishing 12th in the standings with 30 points.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Max Verstappen |
437 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
374 |
| 3 |
Charles Leclerc |
356 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
292 |
| 5 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
290 |
| 6 |
George Russell |
245 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
223 |
| 8 |
Sergio Perez |
152 |
| 9 |
Fernando Alonso |
70 |
| 10 |
Pierre Gasly |
42 |
| 11 |
Nico Hulkenberg |
41 |
| 12 |
Yuki Tsunoda |
30 |
| 13 |
Lance Stroll |
24 |
| 14 |
Esteban Ocon |
23 |
| 15 |
Kevin Magnussen |
16 |
| 16 |
Alexander Albon |
12 |
| 17 |
Daniel Ricciardo |
12 |
| 18 |
Oliver Bearman |
7 |
| 19 |
Franco Colapinto |
5 |
| 20 |
Guanyu Zhou |
4 |
| 21 |
Liam Lawson |
4 |
| 22 |
Valtteri Bottas |
0 |
| 23 |
Logan Sargeant |
0 |
| 24 |
Jack Doohan |
0 |
After the departure of Sergio Perez, the 24-year-old found himself as a frontrunner for the second Red Bull seat next to Max Verstappen.
However, it soon became clear that Tsunoda’s teammate Liam Lawson was the preferred candidate, with Red Bull signing the Kiwi driver for 2025.
Red Bull have Tsunoda as their ‘last resort’ if Lawson struggles in the RB21. While the Japanese driver is technically still in contention, his long-term future is uncertain.
For now, Tsunoda will spend a fifth season in Faenza as he partners with F2 runner-up Isack Hadjar in 2025.
Yuki Tsunoda says it feels ‘weird’ being the experienced driver at Racing Bulls
The Frenchman joins the F1 grid off the back of losing the F2 title to fellow rookie Gabriel Bortoleto at the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Hadjar was afforded the second Racing Bulls after Perez’s exit from the main team.
Tsunoda recalled he once coached Hadjar at a promotional event with Honda in 2018 – he will now have a similar role in 2025 as he acts as the experienced driver at Racing Bulls.
Speaking with talkSPORT Driving at the F1 75 launch event, Tsunoda admitted it feels ‘weird’ calling himself the experienced driver next to Hadjar.
When asked how it feels being the lead driver, Tsunoda said: “I have to keep checking my white hair!
“It reminds me when I step into Formula 1. Isack is definitely fresh new blood and he’s a really nice guy as well, and he’s fast.
“Definitely [it] will be a nice mixture between [an] experienced driver and a young driver. It feels weird I’m saying experienced driver! But yeah, it will be nice.”
Yuki Tsunoda is on ‘borrowed time’ at Racing Bulls in 2025
F1 fans expect Tsunoda to ‘smoke’ Hadjar in 2025 – the feeling will be that the 24-year-old must outperform his teammate to keep any future within the Red Bull setup alive.
With Arvid Lindblad being prepared for an F1 promotion in the next year, Tsunoda is on ‘borrowed time’ at Racing Bulls. The Faenza-based outfit will not want to keep the Japanese driver in the ‘junior’ team much longer.
READ MORE: Racing Bulls driver Yuki Tsunoda’s life outside F1 from height to parents
Tusnoda still seemingly has the backing from Helmut Marko, giving him a slight glimmer of hope that a seat at Red Bull is possible if Lawson or even Verstappen – amid rumours of interest from Aston Martin – makes way.
However, it looks increasingly likely that the 24-year-old’s future does not lie with Red Bull. Tsunoda could join Aston Martin with the team entering a partnership with Honda – who back the Japanese driver – in 2026.
There is also a chance he could drop off the grid entirely. Tsunoda’s ‘most likely’ 2026 role is Aston Martin reserve driver – given Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are both contracted until the end of that year.
