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Tsunoda issues blunt 'call me' plea to F1 teams after Zandvoort cameo
Yuki Tsunoda hopes his last-minute Dutch Grand Prix return with Racing Bulls has forced undecided Formula 1 teams to reconsider his future.
By Lesley Bakker - 2026-08-26T14:37:58.000Z - 2 min read
Yuki Tsunoda has delivered an open invitation to the Formula 1 grid following a sudden, one-off comeback weekend at Zandvoort. The Japanese driver was relaxing on a Greek beach last Tuesday when a late telephone call confirmed he was heading to the Netherlands. Thrust into the Racing Bulls cockpit as a last-minute replacement, Tsunoda stepped in after Liam Lawson was called up to Red Bull to cover for the injured Isack Hadjar.
Hadjar had been ruled out of the Dutch Grand Prix after sustaining a wrist injury during the summer break. That initial domino effect triggered a sequence of roster adjustments across the Red Bull stable, landing Tsunoda back in a race seat for the first time since losing his full-time position at the end of the previous season. Despite months away from a Grand Prix weekend and minimal preparation time, the stand-in immediately set to work.
Qualifying brought a respectable 12th place on the grid, and Tsunoda converted that starting spot into an 11th-place finish on Sunday. He comfortably outperformed regular Racing Bulls teammate Arvid Lindblad and spent long stretches fighting on the edge of the points-scoring positions. Missing out on the top ten ultimately left him frustrated, but the overall execution exceeded his personal expectations.
Adapting to the machinery proved demanding after months on the sidelines. Tsunoda admitted that mastering unfamiliar deployment strategies, steering wheel button configurations and changing tyre degradation characteristics required a steep learning curve. Even so, he credited the team for smoothing the transition and allowing him to extract pace immediately.
Having previously been linked with potential moves away from the championship, including a switch to IndyCar, Tsunoda believes his Zandvoort outing reminded the paddock of his capabilities. He noted that stepping straight into a weekend under current regulations without prior testing gave him a rare chance to prove his worth on short notice. Whether that performance shifts any recruitment plans for the upcoming season now rests with team bosses and his management team.
When asked directly whether his prospects of securing a permanent return to the grid had improved, Tsunoda offered a brief pause before delivering a light-hearted message to any undecided team principals across the paddock. Call me, please.