Yuki Tsunoda was beaming as he prepared to return to Formula 1 with Racing Bulls at Zandvoort, replacing an injured Isack Hadjar. For the Japanese driver, this unexpected call-up was the moment he had been longing for after losing his race seat at the end of 2025.
Tsunoda's relationship with Red Bull began in his F2 and F3 days when he joined their junior program. He moved into his first full-time seat in 2021 with what was then AlphaTauri, now known as Racing Bulls. Over four seasons, he raced alongside Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, and Nyck de Vries before finally getting his chance at Red Bull Racing in early 2025, replacing Liam Lawson who struggled in the opening races.
However, Tsunoda couldn't hold onto the seat. At the end of the year, he lost his place at Red Bull to Hadjar and at Racing Bulls to Arvid Lindblad. He was left off the grid and became a reserve driver for the Milton Keynes team. With rumors of an IndyCar future swirling, he received a surprise call-up after Isack Hadjar fractured his hand boxing during the summer break.
"It was a very unexpected thing," Tsunoda told media including Motorsport Week. "I'm actually quite calm and looking forward to tomorrow." The excitement was evident as he added, "I can't be sad. It was the moment I was waiting for. I was dying to have this kind of moment."
Opportunities like this are rare but not impossible. Liam Lawson, who steps up to Red Bull this weekend, has twice benefited from drivers injuring their hands before Zandvoort. We've also seen Ollie Bearman get his F1 chance when he replaced Carlos Sainz at Ferrari in 2024. Tsunoda acknowledged that these situations depend heavily on the circumstances within teams and the drivers involved.
Sitting out was tough for Tsunoda, who described watching from the sidelines after five years as 'frustrating'. "I was superg I don't know if it's frustrating or stressful," he admitted. "But watching from the screen every race, I was feeling like I really want to be back and driving. I was training almost every day for a long time because I had nothing else to do." Despite the surprise, Tsunoda said he was physically ready, having done four TPCs with five race distances. "It's pretty sharp. All I need to do is get used to this car," he concluded.
Tsunoda's return to the F1 grid is sure to draw attention. Not only is he a substitute driver, but he will also prove he still belongs at the highest level. Can he make the most of this opportunity to secure his future in F1? We'll see at Zandvoort.
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