Axed Red Bull F1 driver Yuki Tsunoda claims he will be world champion... this season!

Credit for photo: Red Bull Content Pool x GPFANS — Photo: © IMAGO

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Axed Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda claims he will be F1 world champion... this season!

You have to respect the confidence

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 25 February 2026 11:55

Axed F1 star Yuki Tsunoda has made the shock claim he'll be crowned champion in 2026...despite not having a race seat.

The Japanese driver lost his seat at the end of 2025 to Isack Hadjar, and was relegated to the role of reserve driver at Red Bull.

Alongside the duties of a reserve role, Tsunoda can also be summoned for Red Bull showruns across the world in old F1 machinery, recently venturing to San Francisco in this vain as part of the team's partnership with Ford.

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Tsunoda got behind the wheel of Sebastian Vettel's 2011 car, the RB7, for a few laps around the Marina Boulevard, while basking in the applause from the crowd.

During the event, Tsunoda was asked who he thought the 2026 champion would be, to which he responded: "I'm gonna jump in mid-season, or maybe earlier as possible, and be champion."

The response was met with cheers from the crowd, as Tsunoda grinned and the host chanted: "Tsunoda's getting his seat back baby!"

Tsunoda showrun ends in flames

The event came to an abrupt halt however, when the rear of the RB7 burst into flames after Tsunoda completed some donuts.

Tsunoda managed to exit the car and return to safety, while a team arrived on the scene to extinguish the fire.

A Red Bull spokesperson told GPFans after the incident: "Following an extended demo run, Yuki performed routine burnouts in the 2011 RB7. The exhaust system overheated, igniting the rear of the car. The fire was quickly extinguished by on-site marshals, and no one was injured."

The 2011 car has caught fire before, during a showrun in Russia all the way back in 2014 where the car was then driven by Alex Lynn.

F1 Red Bull Yuki Tsunoda