Yuki Tsunoda is a Japanese racing driver who ended his F1 career for the Red Bull Racing team at the end of the 2025 season.
| Nationality | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Born | Yuki Tsunoda 11 May 2000 Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in / 1.59m |
| Weight | 54kg |
He has been backed by Honda since 2016 through their Honda Formula Dream Project, and in 2018, he clinched the title of Japanese F4 Champion. He has also received support from Red Bull Racing since 2019, and in 2020, Tsunoda secured third in the Formula 2 Championship, which led to his Formula One debut for AlphaTauri in 2021.
His first opportunity to drive a Formula One car was during a test session at Imola in November 2020, where he drove the Toro Rosso STR13. Tsunoda’s drive caught the team’s attention, and the following month, he took part in the end-of-season rookie test at the Yas Marina Circuit. During the winter break, he underwent further test sessions in the STR14 at Imola and Misano, gaining more exposure in an F1 car. After a successful test programme, Tsunoda earned a full-time drive for the 2021 season, where Tsunoda became AlphaTauri‘s newest driver, replacing Daniil Kvyat and joining his new teammate Pierre Gasly.
Tsunoda displayed impressive form at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix season opener, qualifying in 13th place, even though he was second fastest during Q1. He secured ninth place in the race after overtaking Lance Stroll on the last lap. His impressive performance caught the attention of Ross Brawn, Formula One’s technical director, who dubbed him “F1’s best rookie for years.”
Although he originally raced with the number 11 during his karting days, the number was unavailable in F1, leadin him to double it and opt for the number 22.
For the 2024 season, while Tsunoda continued with the team, another rebranding took place at AlphaTauri, and the team became known as the Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team, often referred to by its acronym VCARB or RB. For 2025, the team lost its initialism (RB) and would now compete under the name Racing Bulls, altering both its team and constructor identity.
On 19 December 2024, Yuki’s 2024 teammate Liam Lawson was promoted over Tsunoda to the parent team, Red Bull Racing, for the 2025 season, replacing Sergio Perez to partner Max Verstappen. However, Lawson’s time in the team lasted just two races. After the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull announced, on 27 March, a driver switch following a challenging start to the 2025 Formula One season for Lawson. Beginning with the 2025 Japanese Grand Prix, Yuki Tsunoda would move up to partner Max Verstappen, while Lawson returned to Racing Bulls alongside 2025 rookie Isack Hadjar.
On 2 December 2025, Red Bull confirmed Isack Hadjar would partner Max Verstappen in 2026, while Arvid Lindblad graduated to Formula 1 (from F2) with Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson. Yuki Tsunoda lost his race seat but stayed within the organisation as a reserve driver for both teams. The announcement completed the 2026 grid, with Red Bull opting for youth across its two squads following Hadjar’s strong rookie season and Lindblad’s rapid rise through the junior ranks.
Tallest and Shortest F1 Drivers
While some drivers tower over the grid, Yuki Tsunoda confidently held the title of the shortest F1 driver in the 2025 season, standing at just 1.59 meters (5 ft 3 in).
Formula One History Recommends
Yuki Tsunoda Formula One World Championship Career
| F1 Career | 2021–2025 |
|---|---|
| Teams | AlphaTauri, RB, Racing Bulls, Red Bull Racing |
| Driver number | 22 |
| Entries | 114 (111 starts) |
| Championships | 0 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Career points | 124 |
| Pole positions | 0 |
| Fastest laps | 1 |
| First entry | 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix |
| Last entry | 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
Yuki Tsunoda Teammates
| 8 drivers | Involvement | First Year | Last Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pierre Gasly | 44 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Liam Lawson | 13 | 2022 | 2024 |
| Nyck de Vries | 10 | 2023 | |
| Daniel Ricciardo | 26 | 2023 | 2024 |
| Isack Hadjar | 3 | 2023 | 2025 |
| Ayumu Iwasa | 3 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Max Verstappen | 22 | 2025 | |
| Arvid Lindblad | 3 | 2025 |
Yuki Tsunoda Complete Formula One Results
| Year | Entrant | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | WDC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda | AlphaTauri AT02 | Honda RA621H 1.6 V6 t | BHR 9 | EMI 12 | POR 15 | ESP Ret | MON 16 | AZE 7 | FRA 13 | STY 10 | AUT 12 | GBR 10 | HUN 6 | BEL 15 | NED Ret | ITA DNS | RUS 17 | TUR 14 | USA 9 | MXC Ret | SAP 15 | QAT 13 | SAU 14 | ABU 4 | 14th | 32 | ||
| 2022 | Scuderia AlphaTauri | AlphaTauri AT03 | Red Bull RBPTH001 1.6 V6 t | BHR 8 | SAU DNS | AUS 15 | EMI 7 | MIA 12 | ESP 10 | MON 17 | AZE 13 | CAN Ret | GBR 14 | AUT 16 | FRA Ret | HUN 19 | BEL 13 | NED Ret | ITA 14 | SIN Ret | JPN 13 | USA 10 | MXC Ret | SAP 17 | ABU 11 | 17th | 12 | ||
| 2023 | Scuderia AlphaTauri | AlphaTauri AT04 | Honda RBPTH001 1.6 V6 t | BHR 11 | SAU 11 | AUS 10 | AZE 10 | MIA 11 | MON 15 | ESP 12 | CAN 14 | AUT 19 | GBR 16 | HUN 15 | BEL 10 | NED 15 | ITA DNS | SIN Ret | JPN 12 | QAT 15 | USA 8 | MXC 12 | SAP 9 6 | LVG 18† | ABU 8 | 14th | 17 | ||
| 2024 | Visa Cash App RB F1 Team | RB VCARB 01 | Honda RBPTH002 1.6 V6 t | BHR 14 | SAU 15 | AUS 7 | JPN 10 | CHN Ret | MIA 7 8 | EMI 10 | MON 8 | CAN 14 | ESP 19 | AUT 14 | GBR 10 | HUN 9 | BEL 16 | NED 17 | ITA Ret | AZE Ret | SIN 12 | USA 14 | MXC Ret | SAP 7 | LVG 9 | QAT 13 | ABU 12 | 12th | 30 |
| 2025 | Visa Cash App Racing Bulls F1 Team | Racing Bulls VCARB 02 | Honda RBPTH003 1.6 V6 t | AUS 12 | CHN 16 6 | 17th | 33 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Oracle Red Bull Racing | Red Bull RB21 | Honda RBPTH003 1.6 V6 t | JPN 12 | BHR 9 | SAU Ret | MIA 10 6 | EMI 10 | MON 17 | ESP 13 | CAN 12 | AUT 16 | GBR 15 | BEL 13 | HUN 17 | NED 9 | ITA 13 | AZE 6 | SIN 12 | USA 7 7 | MXC 11 | SAP 17 | LVG 12 | QAT 10 5 | ABU 14 |
