Yuki Tsunoda is back in an F1 cockpit sooner than anyone expected, and it all happened because of a wild chain reaction that started with a boxing session gone wrong. The 26-year-old Japanese driver will race for Racing Bulls at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend after a surprise shake-up within the Red Bull family.
Red Bull confirmed Wednesday that Isack Hadjar will sit out the Zandvoort race due to a wrist injury he reportedly picked up while boxing during the summer break. That opened the door for Liam Lawson to step up from Racing Bulls to the senior Red Bull team, creating a vacancy that Tsunoda—currently serving as the organization’s reserve and test driver—will now fill.
Tsunoda hasn’t raced in F1 since last year’s season finale in Abu Dhabi. His previous stint with Red Bull, which began just two races into the season after he replaced Lawson, didn’t impress team leadership, and he was dropped. Now, with Hadjar’s recovery timeline uncertain—hand and wrist injuries are notoriously tricky for drivers—Tsunoda could end up with an extended run alongside Arvid Lindblad.
Racing Bulls released a brief statement Wednesday confirming the moves, thanking both Lawson and Tsunoda for their flexibility and wishing Hadjar a speedy recovery. No word yet on how long the 20-year-old will be sidelined, but the dominoes have already fallen in a way that puts Tsunoda back in the spotlight.
What will he do with this second chance?
