Following the return of Formula One after its annual summer break, Yuki Tsunoda was under significant pressure to save his F1 career. With his lifetime sponsor Honda moving to partner Aston Martin, it appeared there was to be no room at the inn for the Japanese driver either in Silverstone or in his Red Bull F1 family.
Dr. Helmut Marko has been talking up his latest protege from the Red Bull junior academy and in August it was widely expected ‘the next Max Verstappen’ would be getting a full time drive in the Racing Bulls car next season.
“He stands out for his mental strength and self-confidence; his Swedish-Indian mix is clearly very good for motorsport,” said Marko ahead of his FP1 debut in Silverstone and after his outing the report was favourable, “Good. For his first outing he was professional. And also his comments were very good. Long run and the time difference with Max was also reasonable. A man for the future.”
Yuki looked set to be dropped from both Red Bull teams and this expectation only grew after further comments from Marko at the US Grand Prix. “The problem is the driver, and after the Mexico City Grand Prix, we will make a decision about who will be Max’s teammate in 2026,” he was reported as saying on X.
Tsunoda had qualified 11th and finished in the same place, once again failing to score for Red Bull for the twelfth time since being promoted at the Japanese Grand Prix. Yet the weekend in Mexico City came and went, and with Yuki again outside the points it seemed the writing was on the wall.
No announcement has been made by Red Bull since the Mexican GP and the mood music is changing in terms of Tsunoda’s future. Speaking to the Talking Bull podcast, Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies was effusive about his Japanese driver. “He’s an incredible individual,” said Mekies. “He’s the most genuine, friendly, generous person. Yes, of course, he’s a friend. He’s the sort of guy that would, two or three weeks ago, he would drive 100km just to have dinner with you, even though we see each other every other weekend.
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“I thought it was for us, but it may have been for the food, you’re right. He has a very unique trajectory in motorsport. He has that raw speed, he had that, I call it late progress on a fourth year, when drivers start to level a little bit, he had this huge season in 2024 with Racing Bulls.
“Then another amazing start in 2025, and then of course, he was now put into the exposure of a top team with the likes of Red Bull Racing.”
Mekies also knows as Red Bull continued to push to upgrade their RB21 in a last gasp effort to push Verstappen over the line to a record consecutive fifth title, Yuki was often left running a car without the new parts.
Further, Arvid Linblad has faded dramatically in F2. He has scored just 30 points across the last 6 race weekends (12 races) whilst championship leader Leonard Formarolli has racked up a tally of 122. The Swedish driver has been fast tracked through the junior Formula and his lack of experience is now telling in his results.
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There’s one other telling reason why Lindblad may be kept in F2 for another season. No other F1 team is blooding a rookie in 2026 and for good reason. This is the biggest technical regulation change in F1 history and the drivers are expecting to have to perform their usual duties along with a substantial amount of energy management.
Learning how to become an F1 driver is tough at the best of times, but to ask Lindblad to cope with this and a whole new way of racing is a perilous course of action both for Red Bull and the junior driver.
Further, there has been a shift in the Red Bull politics in recent weeks. When asked back in September about the two Red Bull team’s driver lineups for 2026, Lauren Mekies replied simply: “Ask Helmut.”
The notion when Mealies took over from Christian horner was that the role of team boss would be narrowed. His post summer comments almost confirmed that drivers would be Dr. Marko’s remit – not Laurent’s.
Yet come Mexico, Mekies was no longer deferring to Dr. Marko when asked about future drivers, rather he explained why Marko’s self imposed deadline of Mexico for an announcement had been delayed.
“We want to give Yuki and all our other drivers as much time as we can,” Mekies told Sky F1. “And I know we’ve said in the past, we may want to decide after Mexico, but really, there is no need for us to rush anything. He’s done a very good race in Austin. He did an excellent session this morning [FP1].”
With the Austrian directors of the Red Bull parent company now involved more in the F1 team, it appears Dr. Marko has had his wings slipped from originally the new dawn he imagined. Whilst its almost certain Isack hadjar will take his place alongside Max Verstappen nest season, its looking good for Yuki that he will return to the Racing Bulls.
Mekies great relationships with Tsunoda is the first car in his hand. Landblad’s fall from grace in F1 another. The dilution of Dr. Marko’s ‘absolute power’ together with the intense new learnings for F1 drivers next year – all point to 2026 seeing a Japanese driver remain in the F1 grid.
Ferrari engineers now pin the blame on….
The Ferrari Formula One team are fighting an internal civil war. According to the Italian media the blame game is in full swing in Maranello as to who is responsible for the team’s miserable season.
Having slipped from second to fourth after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc’s double DNF in Brazil, the Scuderia risk finishing the season behind their rivals Mercedes and Red Bull Racing. If so this would be only the fourth time since 1993 the Italian squad has finished the constructors’ title race in fourth place.
Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton described his first season with the iconic F1 team as having been a “nightmare” in Sao Paulo and the seven times champion now has the unwanted record of being the Ferrari driver who has gone the longest without a podium since joining the team…. READ MORE
A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
Andrew’s work focuses particularly on the intersection of Formula 1 politics, regulation, and team strategy. Andrew closely follows developments involving the FIA, team leadership, and driver market dynamics, helping to provide context behind the sport’s biggest stories.
With experience covering multiple seasons of Formula 1’s modern hybrid era, Andrew has developed a detailed understanding of how regulatory changes and competitive shifts influence the grid. Andrew’s editorial approach prioritises clarity and context, aiming to help readers navigate complex developments within the sport.
In addition to editorial duties, Andrew is particularly interested in how media narratives shape fan perception of Formula 1, and how reporting can balance speed with accuracy in an increasingly digital news environment.
