Honda won’t “interfere” with Tsunoda’s F1 future amid Red Bull split

Honda Racing Corporation president Koji Watanabe says Yuki Tsunoda’s Formula 1 future at Red Bull lies in his own hands, with the Japanese brand undertaking a new project with the Aston Martin outfit in the world championship.

Tsunoda has received a long elusive promotion to Red Bull’s main team for the Japanese Grand Prix; the Milton Keynes-based squad made the drastic call of an early-season driver swap with its 'junior' team Racing Bulls after semi-rookie Liam Lawson glaringly underperformed in the RB21 over the opening two grands prix of 2025.

Tsunoda’s future with the Austrian brand had seemed uncertain after he again failed to earn a call-up to the Red Bull outfit for 2025, but he now has a chance to prove that he can be closer to team-mate Max Verstappen than the Dutchman's predecessors.

The 24-year-old is a product of Honda’s young driver programme, but the Japanese manufacturer is starting a new partnership with Aston Martin for F1’s new technical era in 2026. However, Watanabe is adamant that Honda won’t influence Tsunoda’s future at Red Bull in any way.

“Our partnership with Red Bull will conclude this year, so we have no leverage to pressure Red Bull regarding 2026,” Watanabe said. “He earned his promotion to Red Bull based on his performance, so he must continue proving himself to remain there in the coming years. The most important thing is his own will – since he wants to continue with Red Bull, we have no reason to interfere.”

Koji Watanabe, Honda Racing CEO

Photo by: Motorsport.com Japan

Watanabe also clarified that Honda had played no part in swaying Red Bull for the driver swap with Lawson to occur.

“We don't know when or how Red Bull makes [a given] decision, so we always communicate that they should choose the best driver,” he insisted. “I have very good communication with Christian Horner, and we constantly discuss not just driver personnel matters but also trackside support structures. This time, we did not take any special actions.”

Tsunoda’s first race weekend with Red Bull happens to be his and Honda’s home grand prix at Suzuka, which he describes as ideal despite potential added pressure.

“This is the ultimate situation,” Tsunoda remarked. “Given the seat swap, there’s naturally pressure from Red Bull, and Honda also has strong expectations for their home grand prix.

“This is a rare and unique moment where multiple challenges and pressures are coming together, and I think it’s the best kind of situation. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to experience something like this again, so I just want to enjoy it.”