Damning Yuki Tsunoda F1 claim made after Red Bull star's title triumph

Yuki Tsunoda, British GP, 2025, generic — Photo: © IMAGO

Red Bull

'He would be better than Tsunoda' - Damning claim made after Red Bull star's title triumph

Tsunoda has not had his F1 seat confirmed for 2026.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 26 November 2025 21:54

A damning claim has been made against F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda after a fellow star of the Red Bull driver pool secured a recent championship victory.

Tsunoda got his first opportunity in F1 thanks to Red Bull, signing on to compete in his rookie season with the junior team, who were known as AlphaTauri in 2021.

The squad is now called Racing Bulls but still serves the same purpose, preparing less experienced drivers in the Red Bull programme for a potential seat at the main team, where they would become team-mates with four-time champion Max Verstappen.

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However, this role has proved incredibly tricky to fill in recent years, with the energy drink giants becoming infamous for their mid-season driver swaps.

Tsunoda was handed the promotion up to the main team after just two races in the 2025 campaign, thanks to Liam Lawson failing to impress alongside Verstappen.

But both the team and the car is made to fit around what the Dutchman wants, meaning the challenge of being competitive against Verstappen at the team has been said to be near impossible for any other driver.

But there is one star whose talent has been commended recently - F1 reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa.

Could Iwasa be the answer to Red Bull's second driver issue?

It's been a busy year for 24-year-old Iwasa, who in 2025, has juggled his role as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull and Racing Bulls, with competing in the Super Formula Championship in Japan.

At last weekend's finale in Suzuka, Iwasa picked up two pole positions and a victory in the final race, meaning he had done enough to fight off defending champion Sho Tsuboi in the drivers’ standings, claiming his first title in the series.

The Japanese racer admitted after his win that he does not know what his plans will be for 2026, saying that he was keen to capitalise on his newly acquired title of champion.

Speaking to Autosport after his win, Iwasa's race engineer Tomohiko Koike praised his driver, even putting him forward as a worthy candidate for a seat in F1, something that Red Bull appear to have overlooked when considering their lineups for next season.

Heading into the final two rounds of the F1 championship, Verstappen is the only Red Bull driver who has been confirmed to be racing in the pinnacle of motorsport, with the futures of Tsunoda, Lawson and junior driver Isack Hadjar all uncertain.

"Iwasa is getting better and better," said Koike, who also engineered for Lawson during his time in the Super Formula Championship.

"In terms of his driving skill and his approach towards racing, he [Iwasa] was better than last season. This season he has been very consistent and I would say his average performance has been the best of any driver, better than Tsuboi and Kakunoshin [Ohta].

"It’s quite easy to imagine him in Formula 1. I think he would be better than Tsunoda. I don’t know Tsunoda personally, but I think Iwasa, not only in terms of driving skill, but his ability to set up the car is quite impressive, on the same level as [Tomoki] Nojiri.

"That’s why I think he would be able to drive better in F1 than some drivers who are on the grid. He just needs to be given a chance, that’s the most difficult thing."

F1 Red Bull Yuki Tsunoda Ayumu Iwasa