Yuki Tsunoda has said he is continuing to improve in the areas he can control at Red Bull, saying “I still want it” when asked about his future.
It comes after Red Bull confirmed its new timeline for a decision on his future, with team principal Laurent Mekies revealing Tsunoda’s upturn in form is one of the factors behind the delay.
Yuki Tsunoda: ‘I still want it’ as Red Bull decision nears
This article was originally published on November 1 2025
Tsunoda is battling to keep his seat for the F1 2026 season, with Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar linked with a Red Bull drive after a strong rookie campaign in 2025.
Mekies stated the decision over the team’s 2026 lineup will be made before the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, but gave no exact timeline over the decision-making process.
Tsunoda finished outside the points in Mexico City at the weekend, but partially helped Max Verstappen on his way to a podium by driving on “maximum defence” during the race, to try and keep his teammates rivals at bay.
Losing out on ultimate performance, Mekies added Tsunoda had his “best weekend in a long time” for his teamwork and qualifying pace.
The Red Bull driver himself, though, felt a higher finish was on.
“Points were easily possible,” he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets after the race. “Probably around P6, P7, so we just threw away the points from the places which, well, I couldn’t control.
“But I think, to be honest, what I’ve done was pretty good. I’ve just lost the points with the area I can’t control. So, very frustrating.”
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When it comes to Red Bull making its driver decision, though, Tsunoda remains unsure about when he will hear about his next steps, but insists he is looking to remain with the team next season, and controlling what he can in the process.
“I don’t know,” Tsunoda said. “I’m sure you guys don’t know when exactly they’re going to decide it, also I don’t know as well exactly.
“But I think [in Mexico], I have confidence, I maximised the things I can control, the pace, everything at the start and the points today were easily, like I said, possible.
“So, hopefully they consider that, but also, let’s see. It’s up to them, but I’ll just keep pushing where I can control and that’s it.
“I’m always motivated. In the second half of this season, I think at least I consistently showed something right. [Sunday] also could have ended up easily with a thing that I can’t bring it back home, quite nicely to the team.
“But I think this is my direction. I still want it, obviously.”
Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock
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