Yuki Tsunoda linked with shock F1 switch to Red Bull rivals

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull, Monaco, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Yuki Tsunoda linked with shock F1 switch to Red Bull rivals

Yuki Tsunoda could be on the move

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 24 August 2025 18:57

Yuki Tsunoda could be on the move after being linked to a switch with one of Red Bull’s F1 rivals.

The 25-year-old has raced within the Red Bull family since the start of his F1 career, finally earning a seat at the main team for the Japanese Grand Prix this year.

Tsunoda has only been able to score seven points with Red Bull since his promotion however, with his long-term future in question after a difficult year.

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However, Juan Pablo Montoya believes that instead of leaving F1 entirely, Tsunoda could be an ideal replacement for Franco Colapinto at Alpine in the near future.

"That's the million-dollar question. Franco Colapinto has got it tough at the moment," the former F1 driver said to Casas De Apuestas.

"He did a really good job in the Williams, but he made a lot of mistakes. He was really fast. Gasly, though, is very, very good. Colapinto’s results compared with Jack Doohan? They're very similar.

"The question is, do Alpine want to keep him? And if not, who do you bring? Is it better to get rid of Colapinto and bring a guy like Yuki?"

Should Alpine replace Colapinto with Tsunoda?

Will Franco Colapinto remain in F1?

Colapinto remains the only active driver on the grid to not score a point in 2025, languishing at the bottom of the standings with the man he replaced, Jack Doohan.

The Argentine’s mistakes have cost the team this season, who sit at the bottom of the constructors' standings, with Colapinto also losing crucial track time due to a crash at the 2026 Pirelli tyre test at the start of the summer break.

Tsunoda is also a man under pressure, now sitting below Racing Bulls stars Isack Hadjar and Liam Lawson in the standings, an indication of how much he is struggling with Red Bull's main F1 team.

Regardless of the pressure he is under at the Milton Keynes-based outfit, it is clear there is still interest in Tsunoda, and some teams remember his form of old, making him a potential candidate for a move across the grid in 2026..

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