Yuki Tsunoda vows to combat again after “extremely robust” lack of Purple Bull F1 seat

Purple Bull’s Yuki Tsunoda says he’s decided to work his method again to an F1 race seat after dropping his 2026 drive.

On Tuesday, Purple Bull confirmed that Isack Hadjar would change Tsunoda for the 2026 season, with 18-year-old teen 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 function for Purple Bull subsequent yr.

Making his first public assertion because the information was introduced, Tsunoda admitted dropping his seat was “extremely robust”, however mentioned he’s decided to combat his method again onto the F1 grid.

“Discovering out I gained’t have a race seat in 2026 was extremely robust, 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 filled with setbacks, and that is mine. It’s not going to discourage me from being one of the best F1 driver I may be.”

Tsunoda pays the value for lacklustre leads to the second Purple Bull automotive, scoring solely 30 factors since being promoted forward of the third race of the season in Japan, whereas team-mate Max Verstappen continues to be in rivalry for the world title at this weekend’s Abu Dhabi season finale.

Tsunoda confirmed glimpses of pace 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 consequence of quite a lot of errors, a few of his personal making and a few on the staff’s facet. A pricey crash in qualifying for Might’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix had essentially the most crippling impact, denting his confidence within the automotive 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 thus far in Formulation 1, Yuki has matured into a whole racer, good over a single lap on Saturday and able to distinctive begins and glorious race craft on Sunday,” Mekies mentioned.

“Everybody within the sport would agree it’s unimaginable to not like Yuki, his character is infectious, and he has develop 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 thus far, and we all know he’ll present invaluable help to the 2026 initiatives transferring ahead.”

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– The Motorsport.com Staff