Yuki Tsunoda has insisted that he is “not giving up” on the sport and hopes to make his Formula 1 return, sooner rather than later.
Tsunoda’s time at the pinnacle of open-wheel motorsport came to an end – at least for the time being – after getting the sack from the Milton-Keynes-based outfit at the end of last season.
Driving for Red Bull’s sister team Racing Bulls, since 2021, the Japanese driver was given the call up to the main team only three rounds into the 2025 campaign.
That said, Tsunoda wasn’t immune to the notorious curse of the Red Bull second-seat, failing to impress the upper echelons of the team’s management.
Consequently, come 2026, he was relegated to a reserve driver role with rookie Isack Hadjar getting his seat alongside Max Verstappen for this season.
But Tsunoda isn’t going to take this demotion in easy stead. In fact, he has been a regular face in the paddock in 2026 despite not racing.
This, he insists, is going to be key in his bid to mark a return to full-time driving duties.
“Yuki Tsunoda has insisted that he is “not giving up” on the sport and hopes to make his F1 return, sooner rather than later,” he told Formula1.com.
“I want to still… I’m not giving up on driving in F1. Rather than going to other series and racing… That’s also partly good, because you’ll be sharp, but at the same time, you don’t know what’s going on in F1 very much.”
Yuki Tsunoda reveals stringent training regime despite F1 absence in 2026
The Japanese driver is still keeping himself sharp. Despite not driving this year, Tsunoda revealed he has maintained his rigorous training regime from the past.
In fact, the former Red Bull driver believes he’s in the best shape of his life this season.
“I actually still prepared for the season quite a lot physically,” he added. “Now is probably the best shape I’ve been in in my life… I think physically, in terms of numbers, it’s even better than last year.”
As it turns out, Red Bull have supported Tsunoda’s decision. They too, as he explains, want him ready for the eventuality that he might need to step into the car even at a moment’s notice.
“I’m definitely happy with my shape, and I just need some laps for my muscles to get used to driving again,” Tsunoda explained.
“Sometimes I feel a little bit weird doing this kind of preparation and training, knowing that I’m not racing. But anything can happen.
“That’s what I also got told by the team. I’ve prepared as much as possible, I’m in the best shape, and my mental [approach] is always, ‘Okay, if the team asks me to jump in, make sure I perform’, and that’s it – just being ready.”
As things stand, both Racing Bulls and Red Bull drivers seem to be in a comfortable place, in terms of peforming to the potential of their respective packages.
However, as Tsunoda conceded, anything can happen in F1, and he is waiting for his moment to jump back into a race seat if it so be destined.
READ MORE – Exclusive: Red Bull 2026 driver announcement date delayed ‘out of respect’ to Yuki Tsunoda
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