Yuki Tsunoda was ‘probably bound’ for one Formula 1 team in 2026 before his Red Bull promotion

At the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season, Yuki Tsunoda was in one of the most precarious positions on the grid.

The vast majority of F1 drivers signed new contracts last year, with six full-time rookies also brought into the fold.

The knock-on effect of Lewis Hamilton joining Ferrari saw plenty of swaps take place up and down the paddock, and several teams tied down their most valuable assets to long-term deals.

Red Bull were the second-to-last team to confirm their 2025 driver line-up, with Max Verstappen joined by Liam Lawson, and Racing Bulls were then able to finally confirm Isack Hadjar’s promotion alongside Yuki Tsunoda.

However, Tsunoda was only offered a one-year extension to race for Red Bull’s second team after being overlooked for a promotion.

Honda are cutting ties with Red Bull at the end of the year, meaning the team no longer needs to run the 24-year-old beyond 2025, but the situation has been flipped on its head after recent developments.

Red Bull have called up Tsunoda to replace Lawson after a really difficult start to the campaign, which has offered the Japanese driver an opportunity to prove he deserves to race alongside Verstappen for the foreseeable future.

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Yuki Tsunoda was ‘probably Cadillac bound’ before Red Bull promotion

Dutch commentator and journalist Nelson Valkenburg was speaking on The Race F1 Podcast about Tsunoda’s Formula 1 future.

Very few established teams are expected to have a spare seat in 2026, although Mercedes are looking at Verstappen with both of their drivers out of contract at the end of the year.

However, Cadillac will be joining the grid next season and talking about their entry and the connection to Tsunoda, Valkenburg said: “He’s coming in with an enormous amount of confidence because he started the season really well.

“It’s just a strategy that has let him down, but he could have been easily fifth in the driver’s championship by now.

“He’s super quick and he looks at peace with everything. So, whether or not this reignites him and makes him question stuff, or he embraces it in the way you say and makes something of it, but he has nothing to lose.

“He would otherwise been probably Cadillac bound, whatever. That’s where he needed to look for a seat.

“So why not, from his perspective? Why not? And that it starts in Japan, that will make it difficult, more difficult for him.

“But he is the kind of kid who will take that challenge on. He’s not afraid of a challenge. So let’s see.”

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Who could Cadillac consider for their 2026 Formula 1 driver line-up?

Tsunoda is confident in his ability to perform at Red Bull, despite never having taken part in a competitive session for the team.

Lawson couldn’t handle the balance of the car and even Verstappen has suggested that the RB21 is extremely difficult to drive.

The 24-year-old, therefore, needs to keep his options open should his promotion not go as smoothly as he would like, and Cadillac is potentially his best bet to stay on the grid in 2026 as a result.

Sergio Perez has been linked to Cadillac after being dropped by Red Bull last season, and Lawson’s struggles are only making his final campaign on the grid look more positive than many initially concluded.

Mario Andretti thinks Cadillac could fight to sign Pato O’Ward from McLaren’s ranks, while Valtteri Bottas will be sniffing around any available race seat for next year.