Ayao Komatsu, the Haas team principal, has refused to rule out a move for Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda for the F1 2027 season.

Tsunoda was demoted to a reserve role by Red Bull at the end of 2025 after a challenging season as Max Verstappen’s teammate.

Yuki Tsunoda demoted to Red Bull reserve role for F1 2026

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The Japanese driver scored points in his seven of his 22 races as a Red Bull driver after replacing Liam Lawson ahead of his home race at Suzuka, recording a best result of sixth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Tsunoda has been replaced for F1 2026 by Isack Hadjar, who has secured a promotion to Red Bull’s senior team following an impressive debut season with Racing Bulls.

Haas was linked with a move for Tsunoda in 2024 before Red Bull moved to extend his contract, with the Ferrari customer outfit eventually securing an all-new driver lineup of Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon for 2025.

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Bearman and Ocon, who were separated by just three points in the 2025 drivers’ standings, are understood by PlanetF1.com to be contracted to Haas until at least the end of the 2026 season.

Komatsu has refused to rule out renewing his interest in his compatriot Tsunoda, commenting that Haas’s aim is to put itself in “our best position” to attract drivers for 2027 with a competitive 2026 campaign.

Asked if he would be interested in working with Tsunoda at some stage, he told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I can’t comment on his future. Obviously he’s not our driver.

“2027? I think we have to focus on ’26 with our drivers and with brand-new regulations.

“I think most of the drivers knew that, obviously, as they wanted to see how ’26 pans out and they wanted to pick a better team for ’27.

“That’s why the driver market is going to be so open for ’27.

“So to put ourselves in a better position, our best position, the important thing is we’ve got to have a competitive ’26 season.

“That’s our focus.”

One potential hurdle to a Haas future for Tsunoda is his relationship with long-term backer Honda.

Haas entered a technical partnership with Honda’s Japanese rival Toyota in October 2024, marking the manufacturer’s return to F1 activities for the first time since it withdrew from the sport at the end of the 2009 season.

The burgeoning bond between Haas and Toyota has been strengthened further for the F1 2026 season with the team officially renamed TGR [Toyota Gazoo Racing] Haas F1 Team.

Tsunoda’s links to Honda saw him persistently linked with a switch to Aston Martin, which has entered a technical partnership with Honda for F1 2026, last year.

However, Aston Martin went on to sign Jak Crawford as its third driver for the new season following Felipe Drugovich’s switch to Formula E.

Speaking at the 2025 season finale in Abu Dhabi, Tsunoda admitted he was “disappointed and p*ssed off” by Red Bull’s decision to demote him for 2026.

And he hinted that his contract with Red Bull had prevented him from exploring opportunities with rival teams.

He told PlanetF1.com and other media outlets: “I didn’t have options. My contract was there [Red Bull] so I couldn’t do much.

“I had a couple of interests externally, but my contract doesn’t really allow me to talk a lot with them.

“So that’s why I was really focused on Red Bull.

“And anyway, it was my priority for the last few years, the Red Bull family, because this is where I grew up.”

Additional reporting by Mat Coch and Thomas Maher

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