Yuki Tsunoda will “definitely not” feature on the grid next season, with Ralf Schumacher declaring he is “lucky” to still be in the Red Bull seat today.
After four seasons with Red Bull’s sister team, Tsunoda was handed his dream promotion at round three of this year’s championship. But it has been anything but a dream performance.
Will Yuki Tsunoda or Isack Hadjar race for Red Bull next season?
Replacing the beleaguered Liam Lawson at the Japanese Grand Prix, then Red Bull team principal Christian Horner highlighted the need to develop the RB21 and Tsunoda’s experience as key reasons behind the driver swap.
“We came into the 2025 season with two ambitions,” he said, “to retain the World Drivers’ Championship and to reclaim the World Constructors’ title and this is a purely sporting decision.
“We acknowledge there is a lot of work to be done with the RB21 and Yuki’s experience will prove highly beneficial in helping to develop the current car.”
Tsunoda’s promotion has fallen short of expectations, with the Japanese driver scoring just nine points in 14 race weekends.
F1 2025 head-to-head stats
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head qualifying statistics between team-mates
👉 F1 2025: Head-to-head race statistics between team-mates
That’s left Max Verstappen to again fly the flag alone for Red Bull, the driver single-handedly putting the team up in fourth place in the Constructors’ Championship.
Tsunoda’s struggles have led to speculation that his Red Bull days are numbered, with Schumacher going as far as to say so too are his days in Formula 1.
“Definitely not,” he told t-online when asked if Tsunoda would race next season.
“He is lucky that the team has already announced that it wants to finish the season with him.
“Something would have to change fundamentally in the coming races for him to stay, but I’m afraid that Tsunoda will continue to drive as before – and then won’t have a cockpit in Formula 1 at all next year.”
Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar, who scored a maiden podium at the Dutch Grand Prix when he brought his VCARB02 home in third place behind Verstappen, is the frontrunner to replace Tsunoda.
The Frenchman is tipped to become Verstappen’s seventh teammate at Red Bull, and his fourth in 18 months.
Asked if he would advise Hadjar against taking the Red Bull seat, the former F1 driver replied: “Yes, that’s what I said at the beginning (laughs)!
“But first of all, I believe that such a talented, young driver like Hadjar must also learn to assert himself at a team like Red Bull.
“In a car like the current one, which Verstappen developed together with the team, this is of course not possible. That’s why I say: If Hadjar had to get into the same car as Tsunoda today, Red Bull would have destroyed him too.
“But next year everything will be reset to zero.”
“That means Max starts from scratch, his new teammate starts from scratch, everyone can get involved and get the set-up they need,” the German added.
“In addition, Hadjar has the speed that is needed. If the new concept also suits him, he is certainly the simplest, the most obvious solution as a teammate of Max Verstappen.”
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