How a grateful Tsunoda found F1 closure as Dutch GP super-sub

You don't know what you have until it's gone. And it was obvious from the first moment he set foot in the Formula 1 paddock until the last, that Yuki Tsunoda was loving every second of his stand-in performance at the 2026 Dutch Grand Prix.

Zandvoort provided an unexpected last-minute opportunity for Tsunoda to rekindle the F1 flame as a Racing Bulls substitute for Liam Lawson, who enjoyed his own full circle moment at Red Bull after Isack Hadjar injured his wrist in training.

“I was with my manager and also other friends in Greece on the beach,” said Tsunoda - dropped by Red Bull after a tough 2025 - about his call-up. "[I was] pretty relaxed and watching the beautiful ocean when I suddenly got a call, ‘OK, you have to go to the UK’. I was in Greece [for] just 24 hours and you already want me to go to the UK? I said ‘Why?’

‘You might race this week...’

"OK, that's where I'm going!”

As a Red Bull reserve driver Tsunoda was still keeping race fit, combining training with simulator work and testing of previous generation cars. But, crucially, the 26-year-old had only driven the virtual Red Bull RB22, so getting the call-up for sister squad Racing Bulls meant learning its VCARB 03 from scratch.

Tsunoda rushed to Milton Keynes on Wednesday for a last-minute simulator session and briefings, before heading to Amsterdam that same night.

The challenge of a sprint weekend made the stand-in role even more difficult, though it also reduced expectations to a level where Tsunoda could just go out and enjoy the weekend. Not exactly something he had been able to do as Max Verstappen's team-mate in the bucking 2025 Red Bull.

Tsunoda finished 17th in the 2025 standings compared to second for Verstappen

Photo by: Mark Thompson - Getty Images

Gratefulness permeated his media availability on Thursday, acknowledging how hard it had been to step away from a full-time racing seat outside of his own choice. "It was a moment I was waiting for and I was dying to have this kind of moment," he said.

"Watching from the screen every race, I was feeling like I really want to be back and drive it. Racing Bulls, I've been here for [many] years. As soon as I wore this white jersey, I felt really at home."

Tsunoda gave a good account of himself in Friday's sprint qualifying, but like Lawson, he really treated the entire sprint format as practice and focused on getting ready for Saturday qualifying instead, with the sprint race a long run exercise.

"Honestly, I'm super happy, I enjoyed this qualifying so much. I missed this kind of feeling, chasing the last few milliseconds. I was able to get used to it faster than I expected" Yuki Tsunoda

Finishing 13th behind Alpine's Franco Colapinto in the 24-lap snoozer, and surviving contact with team-mate Arvid Lindblad after overestimating the amount of grip on offer in 2026, Tsunoda made a step forward by qualifying 12th, just 0.102s behind Lindblad who had snagged the final Q3 spot in 10th.

After the session Tsunoda was visibly buzzing as he gladly fielded questions from anyone and everyone in the media pen. "Honestly, I'm super happy, I enjoyed this qualifying so much,” he said. “I missed this kind of feeling, chasing the last few milliseconds. I was able to get used to it faster than I expected."

He repeated his account of the session to other outlets, using varying vocabulary but always with the same beaming smile.

Tsunoda put up a good account of himself on the Dutch coastline

Photo by: Eric Le Galliot

After spending half an hour talking to reporters, he had to be dragged away by his team to make it to the debrief. You can tell a driver is living their best life when even otherwise tiresome and compulsory media duties become part of the thrill...

"Call me, please"

On Sunday he continued to savour every moment of the build-up, recording videos during the parade lap for Racing Bulls’ social accounts. But what really mattered was what happened once the five lights went out, and despite his rustiness Tsunoda didn't disappoint.

While unable to move into the points, Tsunoda turned heads with a brazen move on his friend and former team-mate Pierre Gasly during lap 29 through Scheivlak, the high commitment Turn 5 right-hander. Tsunoda ultimately wasn't able to keep the Frenchman behind until the end, finishing five seconds behind the final points-paying position.

But given the circumstances, on a difficult, technical circuit in a car he had never seen up close before, Zandvoort was nothing but mission accomplished. "Unfortunately, Yuki slid off the track which set him back a bit; that being said, we were very close to the points and for him to do that on a one-race stand in is phenomenal," said team principal Alan Permane.

Against the backdrop of an uncertain future for the Honda affiliated driver, and advanced talks with IndyCar teams aligned with the Japanese manufacturer, what the future will hold for Tsunoda is not yet clear.

Having sat on the sidelines for six months, Tsunoda is well aware the Dutch Grand Prix may have been his last-ever F1 outing. So, if it was, he made sure to savour every moment and find closure.

But the life of a racing driver works in mysterious ways, and Zandvoort was a timely reminder of his skillset.

Has the weekend increased the 26-year-old's chances to return to the grid?

"Cheeky, huh? Increased?, he repeated, as he left a long pause to carefully consider his answer.

"What should I say?”

"Call me, please,” he then laughed.