Does Toyota’s Increased Collaboration with Haas Accelerate Yuki Tsunoda’s Future F1 Return?

Ahead of the 2025 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Toyota Gazoo Racing announced that they would be taking over for MoneyGram as Haas’ main title sponsors starting in the 2026 season. At the same time, Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda recently saw himself reassigned to Red Bull’s reserve seat for the coming season. Despite the move, could his return to a Formula One seat come sooner rather than later?

(Image Credit to F1)

Yuki Tsunoda’s time as a Formula One backbencher could potentially end sooner rather than later. 

Ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it was announced that MoneyGram would be replaced by Toyota Gazoo Racing as the full-time title sponsor of the Haas Formula One team, with the change expected to take effect for the 2026 season. The move is the next step in the collaboration between the two automotive brands, which has already played a significant role in Haas’ ability to develop and gain experienced drivers through Toyota’s system. 

While the ties between Yuki Tsunoda and Honda are far more pronounced and apparent, could the increased collaboration between Toyota and Haas be an unexpected route for Yuki Tsunoda in terms of securing a Formula One drive for 2027?

There is a chance that the increased partnership between the Japanese manufacturer Toyota and Haas could grant the team a more pronounced Japanese presence. If that is to be the case, then signing Yuki Tsunoda could serve to reinforce such growth in fan following and it could also be a money-generator in terms of merchandise sales. 

Logistically, if a seat at Haas were to be freed up, a key player here could be Ferrari. Both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are open to the possibility of leaving Ferrari at the end of 2026, which would free up a seat or two in Maranello. Haas driver Ollie Bearman is arguably the favourite to move to Ferrari should a seat free up, which would open up a seat for Haas to slot Yuki Tsunoda into. Add on the fact that Bearman’s contract is rumoured to end after the 2026 season and there is a considerable chance that the British driver could find himself in the red overall sooner rather than later. 

If that were to happen, enter Yuki Tsunoda.

That said, there is always the chance that Ferrari opt to lure the likes of Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri to Maranello, and a move to keep Charles Leclerc and/or Lewis Hamilton in tow for the short-term could materialise if the car shows better performance to open the 2026 campaign.   

And there’s always the chance that Yuki Tsunoda, who again is locked into the reserve role at Red Bull, ends up back in the full-time Red Bull rotation before the end of 2026 or even for 2027. Drivers in the second Red Bull seat have been known to struggle consistently; while Laurent Mekies’ first full season as Red Bull Team Principal could break the curse, there is always the fact that driving alongside Max Verstappen comes with its pressures. 

And should Max Verstappen end up leaving Red Bull for the 2027 season, there is a prime opportunity for Yuki Tsunoda to slide back into full-time Formula One work, should Liam Lawson or Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls’ driver pairing for the upcoming season, once again be selected to drive for the Red Bull junior team for the 2027 season. 

Things may have seemed bleak a week or so ago when it was announced that Isack Hadjar would be inheriting Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull seat for the 2026 Formula One season. But even with the increasingly-occasional drama more than capable of happening within the Red Bull team, recent developments in the Haas system have nudged the door open for a potential 2027 return for Yuki Tsunoda. 

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Article written by Noah Guttman

© Noah Guttman