Popular F1 star set for IndyCar test after disappointing news

Good news for fans of seeing Yuki Tsunoda in a race car: the Japanese driver is expected to head to the US this month to get some time in IndyCar machinery.

The popular 26-year-old lost his full-time F1 seat at the end of last season after disappointing performances partnering Max Verstappen at Red Bull, and has been looking for a regular race seat since then.

Tsunoda has been serving as a reserve and test driver in the Red Bull organisation this season, getting an unexpected chance to jump back in for three races at Racing Bulls when Liam Lawson stepped up to Red Bull in place of the injured Isack Hadjar.

With silly season more or less wrapped up for the year, the news look bad – it doesn't look like there will be a place for Tsunoda on the grid in 2027 either, leading to speculation about other racing opportunities.

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Tsunoda set for IndyCar test

Racer report that Tsunoda is one of a number of drivers lined up for an 'evaluation test' at Barber Motorsports Park at the end of the month, with the Red Bull man joining up with Meyer Shank Racing there.

MSR are affiliated with Chip Ganassi Racing, one of the biggest teams in the sport, and both are Honda teams – with Tsunoda notably having close links with the Japanese manufacturer through his career.

The test is unlikely to result in a seat for the 2027 season, but the report goes on to note that MSR will be running Honda's manufacturer charter for 2028, which Tsunoda could be a candidate for.

Other candidates for that seat include Linus Lundqvist – out of an IndyCar seat since the end of his debut season in 2024 – and Kakunoshin Ohta, leading the Super Formula series with two races remaining.

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