The 2026 season will see Yuki Tsunoda in the capacity of Red Bull test and reserve driver after he lost the second seat to Isack Hadjar.
Breaking silence on the shocking shakeup, which will also see Arvid Lindblad, the 18 years old driver, in the Racing Bull seat with Liam Lawson, the 25-year-old declared, "I'm not finished yet."
Yuki turned to his Instagram account on Wednesday , December 3, to share a click of himself in Red Bull race suit with the caption, "Finding out I won’t have a race seat in 2026 was incredibly tough, but I’m determined to work harder than ever with Red Bull as test and reserve driver to develop with the team, and prove I deserve a place on the grid."
He concluded, "Life's full of setbacks, and this is mine. It’s not going to deter me from being the best F1 driver I can be."
The decision, confirmed by Red Bull on December 2, 2025, ended Yuki Tsunoda's full-time race seat after four seasons with the team and its sister outfit.
While critics and fans alike have always pointed out Red Bull's infamous "second seat curse" during a major reshuffling, which has seen talented drivers like Pierre Gasly, Daniel Ricciardo, and Alex Albon falter under Max Verstappen's shadow, Red Bull's decision to keep Yuki Tsunoda in a reserve capacity signals the organisation's belief in his potential.
