Hiroki Tsunoda turned the newest driver to be dropped from Purple Bull after lower than a season, however was not retained for a race seat in F1 in 2026.
Purple Bull confirmed on Tuesday its anticipated choice to interchange Tsunoda with Izak Hajjar, who will probably be Max Verstappen’s subsequent teammate in 2026.
There will probably be no area for Tsunoda on subsequent yr’s grid as Arvid Linblad has been promoted to sister workforce Racing Bulls alongside Liam Lawson, who stays.
That is no shock on condition that Tsunoda struggled to make an affect in his second Purple Bull race after swapping seats with Lawson within the third race of the season.
Nonetheless, Tsunoda was given a brand new position as Purple Bull’s reserve driver for 2026 as a part of a workforce restructuring.
Even when Tsunoda finally ends up sitting on the sidelines with out racing for a yr, it’s essential that he stays inside the F1 paddock, which may assist safe a full-time return in 2027, when the motive force market is predicted to be fairly risky.
In spite of everything, the identical position has secured the returns of Alex Albon and Daniel Ricciardo to F1 prior to now.
However which workforce may doubtlessly provide Kakuda a touchdown spot in 2027?
aston martin
Will Tsunoda keep at Aston Martin Honda?
One of many choices for Tsunoda could be Aston Martin.
Aston Martin has a works contract with Honda from 2026, so there can be apparent enchantment in registering the Japanese racer.
Fernando Alonso’s future is unsure past the tip of subsequent season, so a full-time begin at Aston Martin in 2027 remains to be a chance.
Alonso’s contract expires on the finish of 2026, at which level the two-time world champion will probably be 45 years outdated. The Spaniard admitted he was already “contemplating” leaving F1.
Even when Alonso stays at Aston Martin with Lance Stroll till 2027, staying within the F1 circus subsequent yr may open the door to different alternatives for Tsunoda.
It stays to be seen whether or not Aston Martin considers Tsunoda a powerful candidate alongside Stroll.
In spite of everything, gamers like Verstappen, George Russell and even Oscar Piastri might be poached.
Takayama
There’s prone to be a vacant seat at Alpine, with Franco Colapinto not becoming a member of till 2026. The Argentine has nowhere to cover subsequent yr and might want to carry out if he’s to stay within the France squad in 2027.
With Pierre Gasly locked in till at the very least the tip of 2028, may Tsunoda be reunited along with his former AlphaTauri teammate? Gasly and Tsunoda are a great match and Alpine will undoubtedly boast one of many strongest midfield pairings on the grid.
Alpine reportedly expressed curiosity in Tsunoda whereas Purple Bull’s future was unsure, earlier than handing Colapinto a brand new contract. May Alpine revisit this in 12 months?
Tsunoda and Gasly have been F1 teammates earlier than
fireside
One other potential lifeline might lie with Haas.
There’s been quite a lot of speak about Oliver Bearman’s future, with the Briton already rumored to be Ferrari’s subsequent driver, probably as early as 2027, after a powerful rookie F1 season.
If that occurs, Haas will want a alternative. Tsunoda is extremely praised by Haas workforce principal Ayao Komatsu.
Haas additionally has a technical partnership with Toyota, so one would think about Toyota can be eager to accomplice with Japan’s most outstanding F1 expertise, however that will possible require Tsunoda to half methods with Honda.
Cadillac
With Cadillac becoming a member of F1, two seats will probably be added to the grid beginning subsequent yr.
The American workforce already has the skilled pair of Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez locked down in 2026, but it surely’s anybody’s guess what course Cadillac desires to go in 2027 and past relying on their competitiveness.
Whereas Bottas and Perez usually are not getting any youthful, Tsunoda is within the prime of his F1 profession and will provide a long-term choice.
Cadillac clearly has no hesitation in signing a driver who received burned by being Verstappen’s teammate.
