As Honda removed himself from Tsunoda, what are his F1 options?

If Yuki Sunoda and his new management were expecting Honda to help Honda, as the Sunoda makes a case to stay in Formula 1, the mood coming from the headquarters is not promising.

As a member of the Honda’s driver program, Tsunoda was rapidly tracked through the European Junior Single-Seater Staircase, making his F1 debut with the team in 2021, which was then known as Alfatauri. At that time it was politically expedient to take a Honda-supporter driver for a red bull as it was trying to keep the manufacturer in F1 after an expensive expense to reach the competition-and a return with a very bad PR with its abortion McLaren,

But now the landscape has moved: Honda is feeling himself with Eston Martin, the Red Bull is going back to the construction of its own engines, with Ford sponsoring, and entering its fifth season in Tsunoda F1. Max Verustapane In its senior team. And he has a message from Honda: you are on your own.

“He (Sunoda) needs to take action himself,” Koji Watanbe, president of Honda Racing Corporation, said in an interview with Japanese Motorsports.com. “I want him to make the best option for himself.

“He is now in his fifth year, has capacity, and understands the world of F1 well.

“We can’t do much for him. They need to strengthen their support team, including their manager and secure the required seat. He is a professional, finally.

“The driver cannot rely on Honda forever. A person of goldsmith’s career level needs to think for himself. ,

If this does not sufficiently seem to be unevenly, the Watanbe had already clarified Honda’s talk in the press conference: “Tsaroda’s sponsorship agreement with us. He is fundamentally an independent driver, but we support him as a sponsor. ,

The end of Honda’s relationship with the Red Bull has triggered a wide pull of the ladder, as Ayumu Iwasa-currently in recent years Racing Bulls F1 Reserve Driver-after the bounce between F2 and Super Formula in recent years, has also been told that they need to manage their future.

“In theory, there may be opportunities with Eston Martin, but Iwasa is free to make his career decisions,” Watanbe clarified.

The implication here is that Honda is not accepting anything because it gets closer to this new relationship, and it definitely does not want to start its new system with Aston Martin, while red bulls have been loaded with luggage for years.

Takuma Sato, Indy 500 winner, who entered F1 with Honda’s support in 2002 and now HRC is executive, recently said.

“Yuki now has nothing to do with Honda,” he said. “I want him to go to the red bull, MercedesOr Ferrari As soon as possible. If he does not move forward, it blocks the path for young drivers.

“They have removed it, so there is no need to step into Honda or HRC and interact for it.”

It is not that Aston Martin has any immediate vacancies anyway, because Fernando Alonso Is contracted by the end of 2026, Lance walk As long as his father is the owner of the team, he will capture the second seat, and the reserve driver’s role is 2022 F2 Champion Felip Dragovich’s domain. The only opportunity that can open – ‘Theory in Theory’ – if the manufacturer joins F1 next year when the manufacturer converts its IMSA relationship with Dragovich Cadillac into F1 drive. But this is also a destination, the goldsmith will be in the mind.

In addition, there is no seat in the top table of F1 until Liam Lawson fails brilliantly in the Red Bull. The midfield has also been well completed for this: Williams, Save/Audi and Has have no reason to change their existing line-ups and Alpine If necessary, Franco is already ready to replace Colapinto Jack Dohan.

Is a sixth season in racing bulls now the most realistic possibility of Tsunoda apart from Cadilac? Probably – but, since the Junior Program of Red Bull is recently stuttering in gear after being caught less, there is no guarantee there either.

Red Bull ‘Driver Advisor’ Helmut Marco reported that our Dutch Motorsport.com colleagues Tsunoda’s new team-Mate Isac Hadzar had already made enough to make senior stakeholders “happy”. Meanwhile, upper -class Arvid Lindblads will start their F2 this year and can easily be in hunting for 2026 seats.

Marco said, “He (goldsmith) has a young, fast team-met and it is his own future, you know, so he has to inspire himself.”

“If he is doing well, there is a future. If not, there is no other chance for him in F1. ,

Additional reporting by Kenichi Tanaka, Kan Nemkawa and Ronald Wording