F1 Insider Advises Tsunoda on IndyCar Move After Red Bull Exit

The Red Bull F1 shakeup resulted in what many had expected: Isack Hadjar partnering Max Verstappen next year, and Yuki Tsunodadropping to reserve. Liam Lawson will remain at the Racing Bulls, with a new teammate in Arvid Lindblad.

Tsunoda will have to wait his turn to have another crack at the F1 grid, whether with the Bulls or another outfit. However, the Japanese driver naturally has several options outside of F1.

F1 Insider Will Buxton Calls for Yuki Tsunoda To Return to IndyCar to Have ‘Fun’ Again

Longtime F1 insider Will Buxton saw an opportunity in Tsunoda’s misfortune following Red Bull’s new driver lineup. He called for the Japanese driver to head over to IndyCar racing.

“Come back Stateside Yuki, get your butt back in an Indycar, and have as much fun as you did in your test, every weekend,” he tweeted.

There are plenty of reasons to believe that Tsunoda would be successful in other racing disciplines. Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies spoke highly of the driver in a press release.

“Yuki has raced in Red Bull colours for seven years now, and I have had the pleasure of working with him at both Red Bull teams,” he said. “Through his five seasons so far in Formula One, Yuki has matured into a complete racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and capable of exceptional starts and excellent race craft on Sunday.”

While Tsunoda has yet to compete in an IndyCar, he had the opportunity to test one in November 2024 at a Honda event, where he received guidance from 6-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. He drove a Honda-powered NTT IndyCar SERIES car for the first time at the event in Las Vegas.

Rumors suggested that the Japanese driver could join Dale Coyne Racing in the American open-wheel series. Dale Coyne is well-known for running Honda engines, which Tsunoda is familiar with in F1, and his journey to the top of motorsports.

Coming up in the Japanese racing circuit, he first joined a Honda team in 2017, when he competed for the Honda Formula Dream Project in the F4 Japanese Championship. He had a 2-year stint with the programme before making his debut on the European racing scene, where he drove for German, Swiss, and British outfits before advancing to Formula 2 in 2020.

Running for Carlin in the tier-2 FIA championship, he finished third that season, which earned him his shot at Red Bull’s sister team, AlphaTauri. After becoming a staple in the garage, he got promoted this season to replace Lawson behind Verstappen.