Yuki Tsunoda

When Yuki Tsunoda was a young child, motorsport did not yet mean the world of Formula 1, major works teams or races in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators. His first inspiration was his father, whom he watched competing in motorsport events as a child. An interest in cars gradually developed into racing of his own and, ultimately, a career that made Tsunoda one of the most successful Japanese drivers of his generation.

Yuki Tsunoda was born on 11 May 2000 in Sagamihara, in Japan’s Kanagawa prefecture. He became involved in motorsport as a child, gaining his first experience in karting. Compared with many of his European rivals, his route through the ranks was relatively unconventional. He spent most of his early racing years in Japan, moving to Europe only shortly before he began closing in on Formula 1.

From karting to Japanese Formula 4

Acceptance into a Honda-backed programme was an important step. Tsunoda attended the racing school at Suzuka and made his first appearance in the Japanese FIA Formula 4 championship in 2016. Even on his debut, he showed the speed that caught the attention of those responsible for developing young Japanese drivers.

In 2017, he won the title in the eastern Japanese Formula 4 series and finished third in the main Japanese FIA F4 championship. A year later, he was one of the series’ dominant drivers. He became Japanese FIA F4 champion in 2018, firmly establishing himself as one of the country’s brightest talents.

During his time in the category, he amassed ten wins, 18 podium finishes and 12 pole positions. His results came at the right time. Honda was working with Red Bull during that period, and Tsunoda was given an opportunity to demonstrate his ability to representatives of the Austrian company.

One of the decisive moments was a single-seater test at the Hungaroring in 2018. Tsunoda later described the opportunity as one of the most important moments of his career up to that point. Shortly afterwards, he joined the Red Bull Junior Team, opening the door to European motorsport.

The big move to Europe

2019 brought a fundamental change not only to Tsunoda’s career but also to his personal life. He left Japan, moved to Europe and entered an environment that was almost entirely unfamiliar to him.

He had to adapt to a new way of life, communicating in English, a different culture and, above all, circuits where most of his rivals had already raced in junior categories. He also needed to work on his fitness. He was very light when he arrived in Europe, so his training also focused on building the strength needed to handle more powerful single-seaters.

He raced for Jenzer Motorsport in the FIA Formula 3 Championship. The start of the season was a learning period, but his results gradually improved considerably. The highlight was a victory at Monza. He finished ninth in the standings with one win and three podiums.

Alongside that campaign, he also contested part of the Euroformula Open season, winning races and finishing fourth in the overall standings.

For a complete newcomer to European motorsport, those results convinced both Red Bull and Honda that his next step could come very quickly.

One season in Formula 2 was enough

He secured a Formula 2 seat with Carlin for 2020. That season proved decisive in Tsunoda’s journey to Formula 1.

Despite being an F2 rookie, he was immediately able to challenge the championship’s leading drivers. Over the year, he took three wins, seven podium finishes and four pole positions. His victories included the feature race at Spa-Francorchamps, and he remained in title contention until the closing stages of the season.

He finished third in the final standings and was also one of the year’s standout rookies. His results earned him enough points for the super licence required to compete in Formula 1.

His progress through the European junior categories was remarkably rapid. Just two years separated his first full season in European Formula 3 and his Formula 1 debut.

Formula 1 and points at the first attempt

Scuderia AlphaTauri announced Tsunoda as one of its drivers for the 2021 season. At the age of 20, he became the first Japanese driver in Formula 1 since Kamui Kobayashi, and one of the youngest Japanese drivers to reach the world championship.

He made his debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix and finished ninth in his very first race. His first points therefore came on his debut weekend.

The following months, however, also revealed the other side of the transition to Formula 1. Tsunoda was quick, but his rookie season was marked by mistakes and accidents. He had to adapt to far more complicated cars, tyre management, technical communication with engineers and significantly greater demands for consistency.

An important decision was his move from Britain to a home closer to AlphaTauri’s factory in Faenza, Italy. Under Franz Tost’s leadership, the team worked intensively on his fitness, working habits and technical development.

The reward came at the end of the season. He finished fourth at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which became his best Formula 1 race result.

From talented rookie to dependable performer

The second season was more difficult for AlphaTauri. The change in technical regulations in 2022 did not work out as the team had hoped, and Tsunoda did not have a car as competitive as the previous year’s. Nevertheless, his performances gradually became more consistent.

Team-mate Pierre Gasly played a significant role in his first two seasons. The more experienced Frenchman provided an important benchmark, and Tsunoda gradually moved closer to his level of performance.

After Gasly’s departure, the situation changed. In 2023, Tsunoda was no longer an inexperienced rookie, but the driver around whom the team was building continuity. Over the course of the season, Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo and, at some races, Liam Lawson took turns alongside him.

Tsunoda was able to make regular use of opportunities to score points, even in a car that was often not among the quickest in the midfield. He ended the season with eighth place in Abu Dhabi and finished 14th in the drivers’ standings.

His most complete season at Red Bull’s sister team

Ahead of the 2024 season, the team underwent another change of identity and began competing as Visa Cash App RB. For Tsunoda, however, it mainly meant continuing in an environment he knew very well.

2024 demonstrated just how far he had progressed since his debut. His one-lap speed was no longer a surprise, but it was now complemented by greater consistency and an ability to convert strong qualifying performances into results.

A significant moment was his tenth-place finish at his home Japanese Grand Prix. Tsunoda became the first home driver since Kamui Kobayashi in 2012 to score Formula 1 points at Suzuka.

He also secured third on the grid in rain-affected qualifying for the São Paulo Grand Prix, his best Formula 1 qualifying result up to that point.

He ended the season 12th in the overall standings. The team’s management regarded his year as the most complete of his career to that point.

The long-awaited opportunity at Red Bull Racing

Despite his strong performances, Tsunoda did not receive a seat at Red Bull’s senior team at the start of the 2025 season. Liam Lawson was initially chosen to partner Max Verstappen, while Tsunoda continued at Racing Bulls.

The start of the season, however, quickly changed the situation. Tsunoda delivered convincing performances in the opening rounds, while Lawson was unable to adapt quickly enough to Red Bull’s demanding car.

After two grands prix, Red Bull announced a driver swap. Tsunoda was promoted to the senior team and, fittingly, his first event in his new colours was his home Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka.

It was the culmination of a journey that had begun in Honda’s Japanese programme and continued through the Red Bull Junior Team, Formula 3, Formula 2 and more than four seasons at the sister team.

At the same time, however, it brought one of the toughest challenges of his career.

The Red Bull was exceptionally demanding in terms of both set-up and driving style, and Tsunoda was unable to match team-mate Verstappen’s pace consistently during the year. He finished the 2025 season with 33 points, and his best result for Red Bull was sixth place.

At the end of the year, the team decided he would not continue as a full-time race driver the following season.

A return to reserve duties

Red Bull nevertheless retained Tsunoda in its driver line-up. For the 2026 season, he became test and reserve driver for both Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls.

He returned to a race seat during the season following an injury to Isack Hadjar. Liam Lawson was temporarily moved from Racing Bulls to Red Bull’s senior team, with Tsunoda taking the vacant seat.

After several months without a competitive start, he returned with 11th place at the Dutch Grand Prix. He then finished tenth at Monza, scoring a championship point. His third stand-in appearance came at the inaugural race at the Madrid circuit. Once Hadjar returned, Tsunoda resumed his reserve driver duties.

That spell also demonstrated the value of the experience he had accumulated over his years in Formula 1. After a lengthy break, he was able to step into a new generation of car with minimal preparation time and immediately run at a competitive pace.

Honda, Red Bull and the Japanese dimension to his career

Tsunoda’s story cannot be separated from Honda. The Japanese manufacturer supported him before his arrival in Europe and, through its programme, helped create the opportunity that brought him to Red Bull’s attention.

His progress therefore also mattered to Japanese motorsport. When he made his Formula 1 debut in 2021, he ended a period of several years without a Japanese driver on the grid. His home appearances at Suzuka subsequently became one of the most closely followed moments of Japan’s motorsport season.

His promotion to Red Bull Racing in 2025 was also the culmination of the long-standing connection between his own development, Honda’s programme and Red Bull’s driver academy.

Life outside the cockpit

Tsunoda has also established himself as a distinctive personality away from the track in Formula 1. From the outset, he spoke openly about his emotions, and his radio communications often attracted fans’ attention. Over the years, however, he acknowledged that controlling his emotions better during races was one of the areas he needed to work on.

One of his best-known passions outside motorsport is food. He regularly talks about his interest in food and makes no secret of his particular love of Japanese cuisine. He is also interested in cooking and has mentioned in the past that one of his dreams after his racing career would be to open his own Japanese restaurant.

After moving from Japan, he also had to get used to European food. He gradually developed a particular liking for Italian and Spanish cuisine, although Japanese food remained his favourite.

His leisure activities also include video games. Even during his junior career, he spent a great deal of time on the simulator, and his competitive streak was not confined to real racing circuits. After his move to Europe, cycling, running and other fitness activities also formed part of his preparation.

Tsunoda is also among those drivers who make no secret of the fact that it is driving itself that attracts them most to motorsport. Even when asked about Formula 1, he has repeatedly emphasised the enjoyment of driving, speed and competition.

A career built on learning quickly

What stands out about Tsunoda’s career is the speed with which he progressed through the different levels of motorsport. As recently as 2018, he was competing in Formula 4 in Japan. A year later, he was learning European circuits for the first time in Formula 3; in 2020, he was fighting at the front in Formula 2; and by 2021, he was on the Formula 1 grid.

His first years at the highest level combined considerable natural speed with the mistakes typical of a young driver. The following seasons, however, brought a gradual transformation into a much more complete competitor.

He raced through the AlphaTauri era and the team’s transformation into Racing Bulls, earned an opportunity at the senior Red Bull Racing team and later managed to return to Formula 1 from a reserve role.

From Japanese Formula 4 to a world championship-winning team, Tsunoda has followed a path that repeatedly required him to adapt to a new environment, country, language, cars and rising expectations. That ability to learn quickly remains one of the defining themes of his motorsport career to date.