Yuki Tsunoda Bio
Yuki Tsunoda (born 11 May 2000) is a Japanese racing driver who competes in Formula One for Red Bull Racing. Born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, and raised in Tokyo, Tsunoda began competitive kart racing at the age of nine and rose quickly through the junior single-seater ranks. Supported by Honda through the Honda Formula Dream Project since 2016, he carries car number 22 and is regarded as one of the leading Japanese drivers of his generation.
Early Life and Background
Yuki Tsunoda was born on 11 May 2000 in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, Japan, and grew up in nearby Tokyo. He attended LCA International Elementary School and Nihon University Third High School before transferring to Wako High School in April 2017, where he balanced his education with an intensifying racing schedule. In April 2019, he enrolled at Nippon Sport Science University to study Sport Management, but he eventually took a leave of absence and withdrew in order to focus fully on his motorsport career.
Tsunoda started competitive karting in 2010 at the age of nine, joining the JAF Junior Karting Championship. He progressed through the regional class in 2013 and the national class in 2014, building a strong foundation in wheel-to-wheel race craft. His karting results, including the use of car number 11, hinted at the promise that would soon translate into single-seater success.
Path to NASCAR
Tsunoda does not compete in NASCAR. His career has been built on the international open-wheel ladder, with Honda as a long-term backer. Graduating from Honda’s Suzuka Circuit Racing School in the advanced formula class in 2016, he became a member of the Honda Formula Dream Project and made his single-seater debut that same year with Sutekina Racing Team in a one-off F4 Japanese Championship event at Suzuka, where he claimed his first podium with second place in the opening race.
After winning the JAF Japan F4 East Series in 2017 and the F4 Japanese Championship in 2018, Tsunoda was named the FIA Rookie of the Year in 2020. He is recognized for his open-wheel journey through Japanese Formula 4, FIA Formula 3, and FIA Formula 2 before reaching Formula One, rather than through the NASCAR ladder system.
Yuki Tsunoda Career
Early Career (2016-2019)
In 2016, Tsunoda completed Honda’s Suzuka Circuit Racing School and debuted in single-seaters with Sutekina Racing Team in the F4 Japanese Championship. He contested his first full single-seater season in 2017, winning the JAF F4 East Series title and finishing third in the national F4 Japanese Championship, both with Honda backing.
The following year, Tsunoda dominated the F4 Japanese Championship with the Honda Formula Dream Project team, amassing seven wins and clinching the title at the final race at Motegi, beating rival Teppei Natori by 14 points. In 2019, he stepped up to the newly formed FIA Formula 3 Championship with Jenzer Motorsport while also sampling the Euroformula Open Championship with Motopark, where he finished fourth overall with 151 points, one win, and six podiums despite missing two rounds.
FIA Formula 2 Breakthrough (2020)
Honda announced at the start of 2020 that Tsunoda would join Carlin for the FIA Formula 2 Championship, racing alongside fellow Red Bull junior Jehan Daruvala. The season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but Tsunoda made an immediate impact by topping free practice on his debut weekend in Austria, even though he only qualified 12th. He stormed to his first pole position at the second Austrian round, leading in wet conditions before a radio issue cost him a likely win, and he recovered to second.
Tsunoda claimed his maiden Formula 2 victory at the second Silverstone round after the two Prema drivers ahead collided late in the race, a result he insisted he could have achieved on pure pace. He added further wins at Spa-Francorchamps and the second Bahrain round, plus four pole positions and seven podiums in total. He finished third in the championship with 200 points, was the best-placed rookie, and earned the FIA Rookie of the Year award for 2020.
Formula One Debut with AlphaTauri (2021)
Tsunoda made his Formula One debut in 2021 with the Honda-powered AlphaTauri team, replacing Daniil Kvyat and partnering Pierre Gasly. He became only the third Japanese driver to race for the Faiza-based squad, after Ukyo Katayama in 1997 and Shinji Nakano in 1998, and chose car number 22 by doubling the karting number 11 he had used in Japan. Ross Brawn, Formula One’s technical director, praised him as F1’s best rookie for years after a charging ninth place on debut in Bahrain.
Highlights of his rookie season included reaching Q3 for the first time at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a spirited seventh at the Hungarian Grand Prix after benefiting from Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification, and a career-best fourth place at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, where he became the first driver all year to outqualify teammate Gasly. He finished the year 14th in the drivers’ championship with 32 points.
AlphaTauri Continuity and Racing Bulls Era (2022-2024)
Retained by AlphaTauri for 2022 alongside Gasly, Tsunoda opened the year with a battling eighth place in Bahrain but endured a 12-race points drought through the middle of the season. His strong home form continued at the Japanese Grand Prix, where he finished 13th and ahead of Gasly, and he ended the year 17th in the standings with 12 points. In 2023, he partnered first Nyck de Vries and later Daniel Ricciardo and Liam Lawson, reaching Q3 regularly, leading a Grand Prix for the first time at the Abu Dhabi finale with an ambitious one-stop strategy, and earning Driver of the Day honors in the season finale on his way to 14th in the championship with 17 points.
When AlphaTauri was rebranded as RB Formula One Team, and later Racing Bulls, for 2024, Tsunoda continued as a senior figure. He scored consistently from Q3 appearances, took a brilliant seventh in Australia, became the first Japanese driver to score points on home soil since 2012 with tenth at the Japanese Grand Prix, and secured a career-best qualifying of third in a rain-hit session in São Paulo. He finished the campaign 12th in the drivers’ championship with 30 points, his highest placing in Formula One to date.
Red Bull Racing Era (2025-Present)
Tsunoda extended his contract with Racing Bulls for 2025 alongside FIA Formula 2 runner-up Isack Hadjar, but strong early performances, including sixth in the Chinese Grand Prix sprint, prompted Red Bull to open discussions about a promotion. Honda contributed around €10 million to secure the move, and Tsunoda replaced Liam Lawson at the senior team from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards, partnering four-time World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen for the remainder of the 2025 season.
On his Red Bull debut at the Japanese Grand Prix, Tsunoda qualified 14th and finished 12th as Verstappen won, before scoring his first points for the team with ninth at the Bahrain Grand Prix. A heavy qualifying crash at Imola forced him to start from the pit lane and run an outdated RB21 specification for five consecutive weekends, during which he failed to score. He recovered strongly with sixth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and seventh in both the sprint and the main race of the United States Grand Prix, demonstrating growing pace relative to Verstappen.
Driving Style and Strengths
Tsunoda is known for his aggressive race craft, sharp qualifying speed, and strong technical feedback, traits that have been praised by engineers throughout his Formula One career. He excels on street circuits and high-degradation tracks where tire management and race strategy come to the fore, and he has built a productive working relationship with his race engineers. His ability to adapt quickly to evolving car specifications, demonstrated during his 2025 Red Bull adjustment period, has been a defining feature of his driving style.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature results include his first Formula One points with AlphaTauri at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, his career-best fourth at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, his first time leading a Grand Prix at the 2023 Abu Dhabi finale, and his emotional first points on home Japanese soil in 2024. His 2025 promotion to Red Bull Racing and the contract backing from Honda for his home Grand Prix stand as major career milestones.
Yuki Tsunoda Career Wins
Tsunoda has accumulated an impressive list of victories across karting, Formula 4, Formula 3, Formula 2, and other junior series, complementing regular points finishes and standout qualifying performances in Formula One.
FIA Formula 2 Highlights
Across his 2020 FIA Formula 2 campaign with Carlin, Tsunoda recorded three feature race wins at Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps, and the second Bahrain round, along with four pole positions and seven podiums. His Spa victory was particularly dramatic, as he inherited the win after a time penalty for Nikita Mazepin, while his Bahrain win came after another combative duel with the same rival.
Other Wins and Performances
In junior single-seaters, Tsunoda won the 2017 JAF F4 East Series and the 2018 F4 Japanese Championship with seven victories, finished fourth in the 2019 Euroformula Open Championship with one win, and claimed his only FIA Formula 3 race win at Monza in 2019. He also took a single victory in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series with M2 Competition, finishing fourth overall.
Yuki Tsunoda Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Tsunoda has spoken about the central role his family played in supporting his move from karting in Japan to single-seater racing in Europe. His willingness to leave his studies at Nippon Sport Science University to pursue his career reflects the strong family backing that has shaped his journey from Sagamihara to the Formula One grid.
Personal Life
Tsunoda maintains close ties to Japan while basing himself in Europe to be near the Formula One calendar. Public details about his personal relationships are limited, and he is primarily known for his dedication to racing and his connection with Honda, which has supported him since 2016.
2025 Season Performance
Tsunoda’s 2025 season began at Racing Bulls alongside Isack Hadjar, with strong early pace highlighted by fifth on the grid in Australia and ninth in China, although strategic errors and a broken front wing denied him points in both events. His performances convinced Red Bull to promote him to the senior team from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards in a swap with Liam Lawson, a move reportedly supported by a €10 million contribution from Honda.
At Red Bull, Tsunoda’s form has been mixed but improving. A heavy Imola qualifying crash led to five consecutive point-less weekends on an older RB21 specification, but a switch to an updated package from the Belgian Grand Prix onward sparked a recovery. He has since finished sixth in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and seventh in both the sprint and main race of the United States Grand Prix, narrowing the gap to teammate Max Verstappen.
Contracted with Red Bull through the end of 2025, Tsunoda’s task is to consistently challenge for top-eight finishes and show the race-day maturity that has long marked him out as a future front-runner. With the team’s development path focused on unlocking more of the RB21’s potential, his second half of the season is seen as a critical proving ground for both driver and team.
