Helmut Marko shut down Yuki Tsunoda’s 2026 F1 move to Haas after Red Bull sacking
· Yahoo Sports
Haas were reportedly keen on signing Yuki Tsunoda, but Helmut Marko stepped in to block the move, according to The Race. Tsunoda lost his seat on the F1 grid for the 2026 season after five years.
Tsunoda’s career was expected to take off in early 2025 when he replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull. But despite showing potential with Racing Bulls, he struggled to deliver consistent results at the higher level.
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Isack Hadjar was promoted while Arvid Lindblad moved up from Formula 2 to take over one of the seats, leaving Tsunoda without a place. He’s still around as a reserve driver but will likely need to move on completely if he wants another shot at a full-time role.
Haas’ attempt to sign Yuki Tsunoda was reportedly shut down by Helmut Marko
Speaking on The Race F1 podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm backed Tsunoda to get a second chance in 2027. Ayao Komatsu had already shown interest in the Japanese driver the year before.
But Marko, despite Tsunoda’s uncertain start at Red Bull, wanted to keep his options open for 2026. He ended up leaving the team himself before those plans could play out.
Tsunoda is still linked with Honda, while Haas now has ties to Toyota through a title sponsorship and technical partnership. There are no expectations that the two Japanese manufacturers would stand in the way of a deal.
“I’m going to stick my neck out and say Yuki Tsunoda,” said Mitchell-Malm. “I think Haas is his route back into F1. Komatsu was very interested in Tsunoda 12 months ago. It couldn’t continue because Marko closed the door to keep maximum flexibility on what Red Bull could do with its drivers.”
“It snuffed out that interest quite early, but in that first third of last year, Tsunoda was a bit of an interesting wildcard in that part of the driver market.
“While he’s obviously been a Honda driver up until now, I think it’s possible that, with that Toyota link, Toyota seize the opportunity for Tsunoda to become the reference for what they want to achieve with that Haas partnership, which is to be a pathway for young Japanese drivers.”
“I think Tsunoda to Haas has quite a lot of sense to it once you look into it.”
Yuki Tsunoda a possible option for Haas if Esteban Ocon struggles
Oliver Bearman, though part of the Ferrari setup, isn’t expected to move up in 2027. Lewis Hamilton is under contract for another three years, and there’s been no talk of him leaving before then.
Instead, Yuki Tsunoda could step in for Esteban Ocon after team principal Komatsu voiced his dissatisfaction with the French driver’s recent performances.
Ocon picked up his first points of 2026 at the Japanese Grand Prix but has only made it into the top 10 five times in his last 16 races. Meanwhile, Bearman is beginning to emerge as the team’s main driver despite being relatively new to F1.
Tsunoda doesn’t have a clear path back into a Honda-backed team at the moment. Aston Martin are currently using Honda engines, but Fernando Alonso looks likely to renew his contract while Lance Stroll remains well supported within the team. That leaves Haas as a more practical option for him going forward.
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