Formula 1 · Red Bull Reserve Driver

Yuki Tsunoda

Five seasons in the Red Bull family, a promotion to the senior team, and a 2026 spent watching from the garage until one phone call put him back on the grid. The official Yuki Tsunoda collection: AlphaTauri, Racing Bulls, and the No. 22.

Nationality
Japanese
Born
11 May 2000 · Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan
Teams
AlphaTauri · RB · Racing Bulls · Red Bull
Car number
22
Best finish
4th (Abu Dhabi 2021)
2026 role
Test and reserve driver, Red Bull and Racing Bulls
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Graphic illustration of Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda wearing his blue Oracle Red Bull Racing suit, featuring his number 22 race car
Formula 1 · Red Bull Reserve Driver
2021 — Present
115
Grand Prix Entries
124
Career Points
4th
Best Race Finish
1
Fastest Lap

Who is Yuki Tsunoda?

Yuki Tsunoda (born 11 May 2000) is a Japanese Formula One driver who raced for AlphaTauri, RB and Red Bull between 2021 and 2025. He has 124 points from 115 Grand Prix entries and a best finish of fourth at Abu Dhabi in 2021. He is Red Bull's reserve driver for 2026 and returned as a stand-in at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Full name
Yuki Tsunoda
Nationality
Japanese
F1 career
2021–present
Best known for
The Red Bull promotion and his 2021 Abu Dhabi fourth place

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 5 sources

Rider Profile

Yuki Tsunoda: Full Biography

Yuki Tsunoda is a Japanese racing driver who has competed in Formula One since 2021 for AlphaTauri, RB, Racing Bulls and Red Bull. He is Red Bull’s reserve driver for 2026.

AlphaTauri He came through Honda’s junior programme, winning the Japanese Formula 4 championship in 2018, and reached Formula One with AlphaTauri in 2021. He scored on his debut in Bahrain and closed the season with fourth in Abu Dhabi, which remains his best finish. Two more seasons at the team followed, the leaner of them yielding twelve points.

Red Bull The team became RB for 2024 and he had his strongest year, 30 points and twelfth overall. Two rounds into 2025 Red Bull swapped him with Liam Lawson, and he made his debut for the senior team at his home Grand Prix at Suzuka. The seat did not stick. He finished the season seventeenth on 33 points, and Isack Hadjar took the drive for 2026.

Reserve He began 2026 as test and reserve driver for Red Bull and Racing Bulls, and watched the first eleven rounds from the sidelines. When Hadjar injured his wrist over the summer break, Lawson moved up to Red Bull and Tsunoda took his place at Racing Bulls for the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing eleventh in a car he had never raced.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Yuki Tsunoda

Chapter 01

AlphaTauri

He came up through Honda's junior programme, taking the Japanese Formula 4 title in 2018 before Europe, Formula 3 and Formula 2. AlphaTauri gave him a Formula One seat for 2021 and he scored in his first race at Bahrain, ninth. The season ended with fourth place in Abu Dhabi, a result he has not beaten in five years since. What followed was harder: twelve points in 2022 and seventeen in 2023, in cars that were rarely quicker than the midfield around them.

Yuki Tsunoda in the white and navy AlphaTauri, number 22, on track in Austria. AlphaTauri at the Austrian Grand Prix · 2021 Photo: Yuki Tsunoda in the white and navy AlphaTauri by Lukas Raich — CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 02

Red Bull

The team was renamed RB for 2024 and it was the best season he has had: 30 points, twelfth in the championship, and a run of Q3 appearances that made the case for promotion. Red Bull made the call two rounds into 2025, swapping him with Liam Lawson, so that his first race for the senior team came at Suzuka in front of a home crowd. He finished twelfth there and seventeenth in the championship by the end of it, and the seat went to Isack Hadjar for 2026.

Yuki Tsunoda in the white Red Bull car during qualifying at Suzuka. Red Bull at his home Japanese Grand Prix · 2025 Photo: Yuki Tsunoda in the white Red Bull car during qualifying at Suzuka by Liauzh — CC BY-SA 4.0. Cropped and resized. · licence
Chapter 03

Reserve

He started 2026 as test and reserve driver for both Red Bull teams, at the track but not in a car, for eleven consecutive rounds. Over the summer break Hadjar injured his wrist. Lawson was moved up to Red Bull to cover, which left the Racing Bulls seat open, and Tsunoda got the call at short notice. He qualified and raced the VCARB 03 at Zandvoort without having driven it competitively before and came home eleventh, one place off the points, on his only appearance of the season so far.

Yuki Tsunoda in an Oracle Red Bull cap and team shirt in the paddock, a team member beside him. In Red Bull kit at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix · 2026 Photo: Yuki Tsunoda in an Oracle Red Bull cap by Yu Chu Chin — CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized. · licence
Career Timeline

Yuki Tsunoda Career Timeline: 2000–Present

Born in Sagamihara

Yuki Tsunoda is born on 11 May in Sagamihara, Kanagawa.

Japanese F4 Champion

Wins the title with the Honda Formula Dream Project.

Europe

Races in FIA Formula 3 and the Euroformula Open Championship.

Formula One Debut

Starts for AlphaTauri in Bahrain and scores a point on debut.

Abu Dhabi

Finishes fourth in the season finale, his best result to date.

Best Season

Thirty points and twelfth in the championship with RB.

Red Bull

Swaps with Liam Lawson and debuts for the senior team at Suzuka.

Seventeenth

Ends the year on 33 points as Hadjar is chosen for 2026.

Reserve Driver

Becomes test and reserve driver for Red Bull and Racing Bulls.

Zandvoort

Stands in for Lawson at the Dutch Grand Prix and finishes eleventh.

By the Numbers

Yuki Tsunoda Formula One Record, Season by Season

Yuki Tsunoda season-by-season record: team, wins, poles, podiums, points and final standing.
SeasonTeam Wins Poles Podiums Points Pos.
2021 AlphaTauri · Honda 0 0 0 32 14
2022 AlphaTauri · Red Bull 0 0 0 12 17
2023 AlphaTauri · Honda RBPT 0 0 0 17 14
2024 RB · Honda RBPT 0 0 0 30 12
2025 Racing Bulls / Red Bull · Honda RBPT 0 0 0 33 17
2026 Racing Bulls · Red Bull Ford 0 0 0 0 20

Career totals: no wins, no podiums, no pole positions, 1 fastest lap and 124 points, which is what this table sums to. His Wikipedia entry gives 115 entries and 112 starts, the three-race difference being races he entered but did not start, and RacingNews365 gives the same 115 and 124 points. His best race finish is fourth, at Abu Dhabi in 2021. The 2025 row covers two teams: he began the season with Racing Bulls and moved to Red Bull from the third round after swapping seats with Liam Lawson. The 2026 row is a single appearance: he is the reserve driver and stood in at the Dutch Grand Prix, which is why the entry count is one rather than twelve. Figures verified 27 August 2026.

Yuki Tsunoda in his own words

In His Own Words
I've been dying to be in the car and compete with the drivers.
Yuki Tsunoda · on his return at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix
Frequently Asked

Yuki Tsunoda: Frequently Asked Questions

What is Yuki Tsunoda's best Formula One result?

Fourth place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2021, the final race of his rookie season. He has not beaten it since.

Has Yuki Tsunoda stood on a podium?

No. He has 124 points from 115 Grand Prix entries, with one fastest lap and no podium finishes.

Why did Yuki Tsunoda join Red Bull?

Red Bull swapped him with Liam Lawson two rounds into the 2025 season, after Lawson struggled in the senior car. Tsunoda's first race for the team was his home Grand Prix at Suzuka.

What is Yuki Tsunoda doing in 2026?

He is test and reserve driver for Red Bull and Racing Bulls after Isack Hadjar was chosen for the Red Bull race seat. He has made one race appearance, at the Dutch Grand Prix.

Why did Yuki Tsunoda race at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix?

Isack Hadjar injured his wrist during the summer break, so Liam Lawson was promoted from Racing Bulls to Red Bull to cover, and Tsunoda took the vacant Racing Bulls seat at short notice. He finished eleventh.

What did Yuki Tsunoda win before Formula One?

The Japanese Formula 4 championship in 2018, driving for the Honda Formula Dream Project, before moving to Europe for Formula 3 and Formula 2.

What was Yuki Tsunoda's best season?

2024, when he scored 30 points and finished twelfth in the championship driving for RB.

What number does Yuki Tsunoda race with?

Twenty-two, which he has used throughout his Formula One career.

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. 'I've been dying to be in the car' — Tsunoda details the last-minute call · Formula 1 (official), the 2026 reserve role and the Dutch GP call-up, and source of the pull quote
  2. 2026 Yuki Tsunoda driver standings · Formula 1 (official), the single 2026 entry
  3. Yuki Tsunoda statistics · RacingNews365, career totals
  4. Yuki Tsunoda · Wikipedia, season-by-season results and junior record
  5. Yuki Tsunoda (Q59209579) · Wikidata entity record

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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