Nationality: Japanese
Birthday: 11 May 2000
Current team: Red Bull
Previous teams: Racing Bulls
Number: 22
Strengths: Raw speed, shows signs of development every season, midfield experience
Weaknesses: Temper, has bad streaks, loses out on points occasionally
Strongest tracks: Brazil, Abu Dhabi, Azerbaijan, Australia
Weakest tracks: Austria, Canada, Italy, Mexico
Statistics
Grand Prix wins: 0
Pole Positions: 0
Fastest laps: 1
Podiums: 0
World Championships: 0
F1 teammate record H2H
Total Q record: 45-50
Total R record: 40-53
| Teammate | Q record | R record |
| Verstappen (2025) | 0-5 | 0-5 |
| Hadjar (2025) | 1-1 | 1-1 |
| Lawson (2023-24) | 10-1 | 5-5 |
| Ricciardo (2023-24) | 16-9 | 13-11 |
| de Vries (2023) | 8-2 | 8-2 |
| Gasly (2021-22) | 10-32 | 13-29 |
Pre-F1 championship results
3rd in Formula 2 (2020)
9th in Formula 3 (2019)
Won Japanese F4 (2018)
Career analysis
Yuki Tsunoda is definitely the best Japanese driver of his generation – and potentially one of the biggest Japanese talents ever. He was great as a karter, fast and underrated in the junior formula series. He impressed in Formula 2, where he finished 3rd in the standings, but appeared like the quickest driver of the field and would’ve won if only feature races counted.
His Formula One adventure started slowly, as he was way off Pierre Gasly in 2021. But then again, Gasly was incredible that year and had the best performance of his career, so it’s no wonder that Tsunoda struggled by comparison. He did finish the year on a high, with fourth place in Abu Dhabi. Tsunoda then gained ground on Gasly in 2022, and after the departure of the Frenchman, Tsunoda thrived in the role as the lead driver of Alpha Tauri/Racing Bulls.
He went on to destroy Nyck de Vries quite easily. The next teammates, Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson, were also destroyed in qualifying, although both were close in races.
Entering his fifth season, Tsunoda has plenty of midfield experience. The Japanese is a naturally fast driver who is quick on a flying lap and performs decently in races as well. He does tend to go hot and cold, getting stuck in bad streaks occasionally. He has decent wheel-to-wheel skills, although he sometimes gets frustrated and probably has more collisions than an experienced driver should have. Sometimes, he struggles to perform well over the entire race distance. Other times, he has lost out on good results due to bad strategies by the team.
Tsunoda certainly belongs in F1, but he’s a mid-level driver, not an elite talent. It’s possible for him to develop a bit more. 2025 will likely be his final year with Racing Bulls, so his management should begin to negotiate with other teams so Tsunoda can obtain a contract for 2026 and beyond. He could be a solid fit for Audi, Alpine, Haas and Cadillac. Some speculate he could get a reserve driver role for Aston Martin and then hope to step in once Fernando Alonso retires, but the AM seat might be too coveted by other drivers. We will have to see what the future holds for Tsunoda, who – in any case – should have a decent 2025 season.