Yuki Tsunoda heads into the 2025 Qatar Grand Prix with speculation intensifying around his future at Red Bull Racing. Speaking ahead of the weekend, Tsunoda offered short but revealing comments about his contract situation, suggesting that while he cannot say much publicly, the reality is already clear to “most people.”
Red Bull is expected to finalise its 2026 driver line-up for both the main team and Racing Bulls after the Qatar round. Tsunoda, currently in a tightly contested battle for those seats, faces what may be his most important weekend of the season.
“There are some things I know, but I can’t talk about them”
Asked whether he has already received clarity from Red Bull about next year, Tsunoda initially dismissed concern but quickly hinted at deeper uncertainty.
“No, not particularly.”
“There are some things I know, but of course I can’t talk about them. But I think it’s probably things that most people know.”
Pressed further on what exactly he understood, Tsunoda gave a cautious answer.
“So, what can I say? In terms of what I know, I’m actually in a similar situation to you guys. I don’t know what’s going to happen, so… well, we’ll just have to wait and see.”
His comments reflect the ongoing talk in the paddock: Isaac Hajar is widely expected to be promoted to Red Bull Racing, while Arvid Limblad is the front-runner for a Racing Bulls seat. Tsunoda is believed to be competing directly with Liam Lawson for the team’s remaining slot.
“No plan B” – Tsunoda focused entirely on Qatar
When asked if he had a backup plan should he lose his Red Bull seat, Tsunoda made his position clear.
“No, nothing in particular.”
“I’m only thinking about this race. I haven’t made up my mind yet, and it all depends on how I perform.”
“I want to support Max as much as I can, and if I can achieve that, it will naturally benefit my future.”
With Verstappen now fully back in the title fight, Red Bull is relying on Tsunoda to play a supporting role in a sprint weekend where points can swing dramatically.
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Las Vegas disappointment still lingers
Tsunoda entered the Qatar weekend carrying frustration from Las Vegas, where a tyre-pressure miscalculation in qualifying saw him eliminated in Q1 despite strong early-session pace.
“We knew what had happened right after qualifying. As Laurent said, it was a tyre pressure issue. But… to be honest, I don’t understand what happened.”
“It was a pretty big problem, but we can’t change what has happened. I was quite surprised when I heard about it. Anyway, everything was going well until the qualifying round.”
This followed another key moment in Imola earlier in the season. Tsunoda says it remains his only major regret in an otherwise valuable year at Red Bull.
“I don’t have any regrets, except for the crash in Imola.”
“I think that crash set me back quite a bit after that, so that’s the only thing.”
“I don’t regret my decision to go to Red Bull and I think it has made me stronger. The only thing I do feel is that the crash at Imola was a big mistake.”
A final opportunity to prove himself
Despite the noise around his future, Tsunoda appeared more composed when discussing Qatar, confident that Red Bull can perform strongly at Losail.
“If you look back at last year, Red Bull did quite well here and we’ve been able to extract some performance from the set-up and package.”
He reinforced that his mission is aligned with Verstappen’s championship push.
“Especially since this race will have a format that includes sprint qualifying, we will need to be able to respond smoothly and flexibly, but I think we can perform well.”
“And now, the most important thing for the team is that Max is back in the title race in earnest, and I hope to support him in any way I can.”
With Red Bull set to make its decision soon, the Qatar Grand Prix stands as Tsunoda’s final and most critical audition. There is no plan B, no guaranteed fallback, and no clear direction from the team. What he does have is one race weekend to prove he deserves to stay on the F1 grid.
