Yuki Tsunoda's F1 regret: 'I missed that fucking car'

Yuki Tsunoda has revealed his sole regret from the 2025 Formula 1 season is missing out on driving the competitive Racing Bulls car he helped develop, after his mid-season promotion to Red Bull. The Japanese driver was swapped with Liam Lawson after just two races but scored only 30 points across 22 Grands Prix and five Sprints with the senior team, a move that ultimately cost him his 2026 race seat.

Why it matters:

Tsunoda's situation highlights the precarious nature of driver careers in F1's midfield and the emotional investment drivers have in car development. His promotion, intended as a career breakthrough, paradoxically led to him losing the seat in the very car he nurtured, underscoring how timing and opportunity can dramatically alter a driver's trajectory.

The details:

• Tsunoda was central to the development of the Racing Bulls (formerly AlphaTauri) car from the start of the ground-effect era in 2022, working with a variety of teammates including Pierre Gasly, Nyck de Vries, Daniel Ricciardo, and Liam Lawson.
• After Lawson's difficult start at Red Bull in 2025, Tsunoda was promoted after just two races to partner Max Verstappen.
• His stint at Red Bull yielded only 30 points, and he will be replaced by Isack Hadjar for the 2026 season, remaining with the team as its third and test driver.
• Meanwhile, the Racing Bulls car he left behind, the VCARB02, proved highly competitive. Lawson and Hadjar scored 89 of the team's 92 points, guiding it to sixth in the Constructors' Championship, with Hadjar securing a podium at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Between the lines:

Tsunoda's poignant reflection—"It is like throwing away your kids, your baby"—reveals the deep personal connection drivers forge with a car they develop over years. His comment that "there is my DNA inside it" speaks to the unseen, long-term contribution of a driver to a car's character and performance, a contribution that is often lost in the immediate focus on race results and points. His career pivot demonstrates that a promotion to a top team is not always a guaranteed path to success and can sometimes come at the cost of leaving behind a more suitable competitive package.

What's next:

Tsunoda will serve as Red Bull's third and reserve driver in 2026, a role that keeps him within the championship-winning structure but off the primary grid. His performance in simulator work and any potential FP1 outings will be crucial to rebuilding his case for a future race seat, either at Red Bull or elsewhere on the grid, as he aims to prove his worth beyond the singular opportunity that didn't pan out as planned.