Red Bull reserve driver Yuki Tsunoda returned to the cockpit of an F1 car for a demonstration run in Istanbul on Friday.<\/p>\n
The Japanese driver\u2019s outing came after it was announced that the Turkish Grand Prix will rejoin the schedule on a five-year deal from the F1 2027 season.<\/p>\n
Yuki Tsunoda completes Red Bull demo run as Turkish Grand Prix returns<\/p>\n
Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google<\/a> to your favourites list for news you can trust<\/p>\n Tsunoda spent five years on the grid from 2021, becoming Max Verstappen\u2019s Red Bull teammate after the opening two races of the 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n After scoring points in just seven of his 22 races as a Red Bull driver, Tsunoda was demoted to a reserve role and replaced by Isack Hadjar for the F1 2026 season.<\/p>\n Formula 1 announced on Friday that the popular Turkish Grand Prix will return to the schedule from next year, having last been held during the pandemic-affected seasons of 2020\/21.<\/p>\n Turkey previously had a permanent place on the F1 calendar between 2005 and 2011.<\/p>\n Yuki Tsunoda expected to eye F1 2027 return<\/p>\n F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n F1 2027 driver line-up: Which drivers are already confirmed for the 2027 grid?<\/a><\/p>\n To coincide with the announcement, Tsunoda took part in a demonstration run in Istanbul behind the wheel of Sebastian Vettel\u2019s title-winning Red Bull RB8 from 2012.<\/p>\n The run saw him drive on the city\u2019s streets as well as the Istanbul Park race circuit, widely regarded as one of the best to be produced by long-serving F1 circuit architect Hermann Tilke.<\/p>\n Tsunoda\u2019s last outing behind the wheel of the RB8 came on the streets of San Francisco in February, when he was forced to make a quick escape after the car caught fire<\/a>.<\/p>\n Tsunoda, who will turn 26 next month, is expected to eye a return to a full-time race seat for the F1 2027 season.<\/p>\n Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies opened the door to allowing Tsunoda to pursue opportunities elsewhere, commenting earlier this month that \u201cwe wish for him that another opportunity comes [his] way.\u201d<\/p>\n Tsunoda has strong links to Honda, Red Bull\u2019s former engine supplier, which entered a partnership with the Aston Martin team ahead of this season.<\/p>\n Haas, which enjoys a technical partnership with Honda\u2019s Japanese rival Toyota, is known to have expressed an interest in Tsunoda in the past.<\/p>\n Speaking to PlanetF1.com and other media outlets at the end of last season, Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu refused to rule out a move for his compatriot for 2027.<\/p>\n Asked if he would be interested in working with Tsunoda at some stage, Komatsu said: \u201cI can\u2019t comment on his future. Obviously he\u2019s not our driver.<\/p>\n \u201c2027? I think we have to focus on \u201926 with our drivers and with brand-new regulations.<\/p>\n \u201cI think most of the drivers knew that, obviously, as they wanted to see how \u201926 pans out and they wanted to pick a better team for \u201927.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why the driver market is going to be so open for \u201927.<\/p>\n \u201cSo to put ourselves in a better position, our best position, the important thing is we\u2019ve got to have a competitive \u201926 season.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s our focus.\u201d<\/p>\n PlanetF1.com understands that the futures of Haas\u2019s current drivers, Oliver Bearman and Esteban Ocon, are not secure beyond the end of this season.<\/a><\/p>\n Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp<\/a> to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.<\/p>\n You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel<\/a> for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!<\/p>\n