Yuki Tsunoda reveals stance on leaving Red Bull family after Liam Lawson replaced Sergio Perez

Yuki Tsunoda’s future has been left uncertain after missing out on the second Red Bull seat for the 2025 season.

The Japanese driver was snubbed of the seat next to Max Verstappen at the Milton Keynes-based outfit as they opted to promote his Racing Bulls teammate Liam Lawson for next season.

Lawson will replace Sergio Perez after confirming his exit from Red Bull on Wednesday. Tsunoda had been under consideration for the seat having tested with the team in Abu Dhabi, but the team opted for his teammate.

Tsunoda will stay with Racing Bulls in 2025 having signed a contract with the team earlier in the year and will be partnered with Isack Hadjar. But many have been left wondering why the 24-year-old is still in Red Bull’s junior team.

The Japanese driver has been with Racing Bulls since 2021 and outperformed both Daniel Ricciardo and Lawson in 2024, yet he will remain with the Faenza-based outfit for a fifth season. Tiff Needell thinks Tsunoda should have got the Red Bull seat due to his experience and proven ability against his teammates.

Following this latest Red Bull snub, Tsunoda’s long-term future with the team is uncertain and he has admitted his career prospects lie elsewhere in the paddock.

Yuki Tsunoda says there is a ‘big chance’ he will look at other teams if he cannot join Red Bull

The 24-year-old is only contracted to Racing Bulls for one more year and it is hard to imagine that he would want to stay with the team beyond 2025.

Tsunoda has his heart set on joining Red Bull, but with Verstappen contracted until 2028 and Lawson – while he is signed for 2025 – likely to be a long-term project for the team, it will be difficult for the Japanese driver to find his way into the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

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Therefore, his future likely lies somewhere else, and speaking with RacingNews365, Tsunoda admitted that there is a ‘big chance’ he will look at other teams if he does not find a way to join Red Bull.

He stressed that he would like to ‘sink his teeth into a project’, all but confirming his intentions to not stick with Racing Bulls. Asked what he would do if he could not join Red Bull: “Then there is a big chance that I will look further, or perhaps I should look further at other teams. I think that is also normal for a Formula 1 driver, after all you want to be able to sink your teeth into a project.

“So if I keep getting a one-year contract… A longer contract helps you in several ways in the long term. Not just in terms of pressure, but also in a more general sense, for your whole way of life. So yes, I would say that.”

Who could Yuki Tsunoda join if he leaves Red Bull?

With Red Bull likely closed off for him, several teams could chase Tsunoda in the future as he looks for that next project away from the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

Aston Martin have been linked with the Japanese driver for some months now due to the signing of Red Bull engineer Adrian Newey and the acquisition of Honda as their power unit supplier in 2026 – who are Tsunoda’s major backers.

A reunion with Newey and Honda at the Silverstone-based outfit would make the move sense for Tsunoda, but other teams on the grid have been interested in the 24-year-old.

Haas boss Ayao Komatsu is a known admirer of his fellow Japanese compatriot, making the American outfit a possible option. Tsunoda was ‘floated’ as an option for Alpine, but the Enstone-based team seem to have their sights on Franco Colapinto for the future.

Guenther Steiner thinks Tsunoda will not be interested in Cadillac, but F1’s newcomers will certainly be keeping tabs on his situation as they search for their two drivers for 2026.