Honda's Hope: What Lies Ahead for Yuki Tsunoda in 2026?
Mar.6 - Yuki Tsunoda's fate will become clear "very quickly" this season, according to the boss of Honda's Formula 1 activities.
Currently, Tsunoda is starting his fifth year at Red Bull's junior F1 team, having been overlooked for the promotion to become Max Verstappen's new teammate.
Many believe part of the reason for the Red Bull Racing snub is because the team's works relationship with Honda is ending this year. The Japanese manufacturer is currently designing its all-new 2026 engine exclusively for Aston Martin.
"We are aiming for homologation in February 2026," Ouest-France newspaper quotes Honda's F1 project leader Tetsushi Kakuda as revealing this week.
"Since we started a little late, we want to push things back until the very last moment. It is difficult to say exactly what percentage of progress we have made, but I think we have reached an important milestone."
Some believe Tsunoda is very unlikely to remain with the soon-to-be non-Honda affiliated Red Bull family beyond 2025 - and that Honda will push for the 24-year-old Japanese to switch over to Aston Martin.
Aston Martin has played down those rumours, insisting that both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll are under contract already for 2026.
"He's in his fifth year in F1 and has plenty of experience, so I hope he can make the best choice," Koji Watanabe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, said this week when asked about Tsunoda.
"I think this is a very important season, and the seat for next year will probably be fixed very quickly, so I hope he can seize on the timing and the opportunity to take the next step. I believe he can do that," he added.
"But first and foremost, I want them all to achieve the best results this season."
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No matter how many articles I read concerning Yuki's short to medium-term prospects, I struggle to see him having a viable chance to continue in the Red Bull organization beyond the upcoming season, regardless of what's said about him from Honda's side.
Becoming a reserve driver at Aston Martin for the 2026 season, followed by a full-time promotion for 2027 as a direct successor to Alonso, who's likely to quit racing in F1 for good after the 2026 season based on what he implied at one point last year unless they manage to lure Max, or if Lawrence finally became willing to move Lance aside (which he could do fully within his rights if he wanted to) so that a full-time drive would be possible for next year already.
Another alternative is that if he struggles to keep his F1 racing career ongoing, he could switch to Super Formula & therefore, return to racing in Japan, which is what effectively happened to Ayumu Iwasa, who's about to start his second campaign in Japan's main single-seater series this weekend.
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