Follow us on Google Discover Ted Kravitz was surprised by Helmut Marko’s comments about Yuki Tsunoda at the United States Grand Prix. He’s convinced that the Red Bull driver will lose his seat at the end of the season.
The prevailing view is that Tsunoda hasn’t done enough to keep his seat since he replaced Liam Lawson ahead of round three in Japan. In that time, he’s only scored 19 points, which leaves him 16th in the championship.
Red Bull accept that their car is difficult to drive, even if Max Verstappen is surging into the title picture. But there’s still a belief that Isack Hadjar could do significantly better.
Hadjar is on course for a Red Bull seat after a superb rookie campaign at Racing Bulls. There’s doubt over whether Tsunoda will be on the grid at all as he approaches the end of his contract.
Ted Kravitz says Yuki Tsunoda losing his Red Bull seat for 2026 is an open secret
Speaking to Sky Sports after US GP qualifying, Helmut Marko reiterated that Red Bull will decide on their driver line-ups after the Mexico City Grand Prix next week. That would suggest that Tsunoda still has time to save himself.
The Japanese driver climbed from 18th to seventh in Saturday’s Sprint, capitalising on the first-corner chaos. That followed a messy SQ1 exit, for which the team took responsibility.
Tsunoda was then knocked out in Q2 during the Grand Prix qualifying session as Verstappen took a dominant pole. Kravitz says even casual F1 fans have ‘known’ the 25-year-old would lose his seat since Hadjar scored his first career podium in the Netherlands just after the summer break.
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“You, me, him down the pub, and them down the shops all know that Yuki Tsunoda is not going to be Max Verstappen’s teammate next year,” he said on his ‘Notebook’.
“It’s going to be Isack Hadjar. In fact, we’ve pretty much known that since Isack Hadjar got the podium in Zandvoort.
“But Helmut Marko was playing his cards close to his chest today when he said that ‘we will make a decision after Mexico’ as to the fate of Yuki Tsunoda.
“Let’s take Helmut at his word, and we’ll see if Yuki has got until after Mexico to see if he’s going to be Max’s teammate next year, or indeed if he’s going to stay in the Red Bull family at all.”
Yuki Tsunoda has two options for 2026 if Red Bull exit is made official
Hadjar crashed out of qualifying on Saturday, and while his furious reaction does raise some concerns over his temperament, that incident alone is unlikely to change the minds of Red Bull.
Meanwhile, Tsunoda accused Lawson of deliberately impeding him in qualifying, a day after they came close to colliding on an outlap. The former teammates may be competing for one seat at Racing Bulls if Arvid Lindblad is promoted from F2.
If Lawson hangs onto his drive, then Tsunoda could join Aston Martin as reserve driver, ensuring he remains active in the paddock and the 2027 market. His backers, Honda, will supply Lawrence Stroll’s team next year.