Purple Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda says he’s decided to work his means again to an F1 race seat after shedding his 2026 drive.
On Tuesday, Purple Bull confirmed that Isack Hadjar would substitute Tsunoda for the 2026 season, with 18-year-old teenager Arvid Lindblad taking Hadjar’s vacant seat at its Racing Bulls sister squad.
With all 2026 race seats now accounted for, which means Tsunoda is about for a yr on the sidelines following a five-year stint in F1 as a race driver, with the 25-year-old Japanese transferring right into a take a look at and reserve position for Purple Bull subsequent yr.
Making his first public assertion because the information was introduced, Tsunoda admitted shedding his seat was “extremely powerful”, however stated he’s decided to struggle his means again onto the F1 grid.
“Discovering out I gained’t have a race seat in 2026 was extremely powerful, however I’m decided to work tougher than ever with Purple Bull as take a look at and reserve driver to develop with the staff, and show I deserve a spot on the grid,” Tsunoda posted on his social media accounts.
“Life’s stuffed with setbacks, and that is mine. It’s not going to discourage me from being the most effective F1 driver I may be.”
Tsunoda pays the value for lacklustre ends in the second Purple Bull automobile, scoring solely 30 factors since being promoted forward of the third race of the season in Japan, whereas team-mate Max Verstappen remains to be in rivalry for the world title at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi season finale.
Photograph by: Guido De Bortoli / LAT Photographs through Getty Photographs
Tsunoda confirmed glimpses of velocity within the tricky-to-drive Purple Bull RB21 and certified near Verstappen on a number of events however by no means managed to realize any momentum as a result of a wide range of errors, a few of his personal making and a few on the staff’s facet. A expensive crash in qualifying for Might’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix had probably the most crippling impact, denting his confidence within the automobile and placing him behind on upgrades in comparison with Verstappen for a very long time.
Asserting the information, Purple Bull staff principal Laurent Mekies paid tribute to Tsunoda, after having additionally labored with him at Racing Bulls. “By means of his 5 seasons up to now in Formulation 1, Yuki has matured into an entire racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and able to distinctive begins and wonderful race craft on Sunday,” Mekies stated.
“Everybody within the sport would agree it’s inconceivable to not like Yuki, his character is infectious, and he has turn into a really particular a part of the Purple Bull household. On behalf of everybody at Purple Bull, I thank him for what he has contributed up to now, and we all know he’ll present invaluable help to the 2026 initiatives transferring ahead.”
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