Yuki Tsunoda receives ‘another chance’ prediction from Red Bull boss

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has said he both hopes and thinks Yuki Tsunoda “will get another chance” in Formula 1.

Tsunoda was dropped into a test and reserve role with Red Bull after largely struggling alongside Max Verstappen this season, with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar set to step up to the senior team in 2026.

Mekies: ‘I hope, and I think, that Yuki Tsunoda will get another chance’

Tsunoda had initially been overlooked for promotion to Red Bull at the end of last season, with Liam Lawson having been given the nod ahead of him.

After just two races, however, Tsunoda was catapulted into the senior Red Bull squad having carried on his previous impressive form, while the step up was deemed too soon for Lawson.

Speculation had been rife about Tsunoda’s seat after he was unable to get close to Verstappen’s form in the same machinery, however, and ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the team confirmed Hadjar would be promoted, British rookie Arvid Lindblad would join Racing Bulls, and Tsunoda would drop into a third driver role.

Red Bull team principal Mekies worked with Tsunoda at both Red Bull-affiliated teams in Formula 1, so has experienced how he operates at close quarters in both Red Bull’s sister team and factory operation.

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He admitted Tsunoda’s disappointment at having not initially being chosen for a Red Bull seat in 2025, but believes anything can happen in the future.

With that, he hopes to see the Japanese driver eventually return to the grid.

“It has been very difficult decisions to take,” Mekies admitted to PlanetF1.com and other accredited media in Abu Dhabi.

“The second seat in Red Bull Racing is not an easy one. We have a tough car to drive and, of course, we have tried everything we could to support Yuki and, at some stage, we had to make the difficult call between where we were seeing that going forward for the following years.

“I hope, and I think, that Yuki will get another chance. He will be reserve driver with us next year, you never know what’s going to happen. We have been quite famous in making fairly swift driver decisions in the past.

“So look, when I recall one moment, at the end of the season, 2024, Yuki was driving very well. It was very difficult for him to digest, you know, Liam [Lawson] was getting the promotion in Red Bull Racing and he went into the winter, thinking ‘was he going to get a chance one day or another?’

“He came back, and we set ourselves with the team at the time, the objective to maximise everything, to shoot for the stars – and three races after, he was driving in that Oracle Red Bull Racing team. So you never know where the future lies.

“We have all, I’m sure, in this room and beyond, we have all experienced setbacks – sometimes hard setbacks. That’s a setback for him, but I am confident that he has a lot in him that will allow him to have another opportunity.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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