Yuki Tsunoda clears up ‘misunderstanding’ over Red Bull and Honda loyalties

Yuki Tsunoda hopes he has not created a “misunderstanding” between him and Red Bull after he talked about his links to Honda.

The Japanese supplier will swap Red Bull for Aston Martin in 2026 which has brought Tsunoda’s future into question.

The 23-year-old has been a member of Honda’s Formula Dream Project since 2016 but wants current employers Red Bull to not get the wrong impression.

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Tsunoda is into his third year as an F1 driver and after some speculation, his AlphaTauri seat was confirmed for 2024 alongside Daniel Ricciardo. As for what comes next, it is anyone’s guess with Max Verstappen being the only Red Bull contracted driver to have a deal that extends past the end of next year.

Tsunoda will be hoping he pushes on next year but wants to make sure Red Bull do not believe he is angling for a move to Aston Martin.

“The main thing is, I don’t want Red Bull to misunderstand something.For example, that I’m just focusing now on Aston Martin or anything,” Tsunoda told the media in Watar.

“I’m in AlphaTauri and I’ve been with Red Bull since I was 18 years old. I’m focusing on performing for Red Bull. Not for Aston Martin or something like that.

“Hopefully they [Red Bull] haven’t misunderstood those things and hopefully they really consider my future seriously.

“If I perform better than other drivers then hopefully they consider more.”

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As to whether Honda has a say on where Tsunoda drives, he suggested that as long as he performs they’re happy.

“If that’s the case, I’m not happy with it because it’s not [true],” he said when asked if the Honda’s deal with Aston Martin could make lifer harder for him at Red Bull.

“I think the Honda side, what they’re saying is, as long as I can succeed, they don’t care where I go.

“They want [me] as a Japanese driver to be successful. Obviously, it would be fortunate if we work together and it would be a success, but in the end they don’t care about it.

“And that’s what I really like about Honda, they don’t care which team you are in.

“So, I don’t think they’re really focused on Aston Martin or whatever, they’re just focusing on me as a driver, as Yuki, to support making me a successful driver.”

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