The hope of Japan,
who had won the FIA Formula 4 Championship in 2018 as a Honda development driver,
moved to Europe in 2019 to compete in the FIA Formula 3 Championship.
In 2020, he claimed three victories in the FIA Formula 2 Championship,
finishing third in the standings and earning a full-time seat in Formula 1.
Making his debut as the first Japanese F1 driver in seven years,
he finished ninth in his opening race after battling former World Champions,
immediately making a strong impression with his talent.
While Tsunoda demonstrated flashes of outstanding speed at times,
he often faced difficult circumstances due to uncompetitive machinery.
However, his strong performances in the opening rounds of the 2025 season
with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls were recognized,
leading to his promotion to Red Bull Racing from the third in Japan,
where he supported reigning World Champion Max Verstappen.
Profile
- Name
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Team:
- Oracle Red Bull Racing
- Country of origin
- Japan
- Date of birth
- 11th May 2000
Results
- 2013
- JAF Regional Kart Championship Eastern Region FS-125 Class: Champion
- 2015
- All Japan Kart Championship FS125 class: 2nd
- 2016
- Super FJ Dream Cup Race & Japan National Final: Winner
- 2017
- FIA-F4 Championship: 3rd
- 2018
- FIA-F4 Championship: Champion
- 2019
- FIA-F4 Championship: 9th
- 2020
- FIA-F2 Championship: 3rd
FIA Rookie of the Year
Anthoine Hubert Award
Pirelli Trophy
- 2021
- F1 World Championship: 14th (AlphaTauri Honda)
- 2022
- F1 World Championship: 17th (AlphaTauri RBPT)
- 2023
- F1 World Championship: 14th (AlphaTauri Honda RBPT)
- 2024
- F1 World Championship: 12th (VCARB Honda RBPT)
- 2025
- F1 World Championship: 17th (Racing Bulls Honda RBPT / Red Bull Honda RBPT)
- Official website
- https://www.yukitsunoda.com/
Career
Yuki’s career began in his native Japan when his father, Nobuaki, took him to the Nakai Inter Circuit in Kanagawa to try his hand at karting. The four-year-old took to driving immediately and he was soon at the circuit. Then, in 2007, he attended his first F1 race, the Japanese Grand Prix at Fuji Speedway, and the young racer’s path was set.
After success in competitive karting, Yuki moved to single-seaters in 2016 and in 2018 he won the Japanese Formula Four Championship. That prompted a move to Europe and a busy 2019 season in which he competed in both the FIA Formula Three Championship and the Euroformula Open Championship. In 2020 he stepped up to Formula Two and after racing to third place overall, he took the final leap up the ladder, earning a seat at Scuderia AlphaTauri.
The Japanese racer got off to a flying start, scoring points on his debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix and over the course of his maiden season often finished in the points, including a career-best of 4th place at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The good work has continued since and over the past three seasons Yuki has proven his talent on numerous occasions, finishing in the points 28 times in all and establishing himself as a quick, tenacious and determined competitor.
In the 2025 season, Tsunoda began the year with Visa Cash App Racing Bulls. His outstanding performances in the opening two races earned him promotion to Oracle Red Bull Racing from Round 3, the Japanese Grand Prix. At Round 9, the Spanish Grand Prix, he reached a milestone of 111 Grand Prix starts, the most by any Japanese driver in Formula 1 history.
Videos
Records
Profile
- Name
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Date of Birth
- 11 May 2000
- Place of Birth
- Sagamihara, Japan
- Weight
- 53㎏
- Height
- 161㎝
Race Wins
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
Pole Positions
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
Races ※1
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
Podiums
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
Retirements ※2
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
Laps Raced ※3
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
Laps Led ※3
-
Total
0
-
Honda
0
- *1 Races: includes disqualifications
- *2 Retired: does not include classified finishes and disqualifications *Laps completed in disqualified races are excluded.
Formula 1.com and other sources
Photos: ©Red Bull Content Pool
