P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Honda tried everything it could to keep Yuki Tsunoda, a driver it has supported for several years, on the F1 grid.
Honda reportedly made a significant offer to Red Bull in order to retain Yuki Tsunoda in Formula 1. Red Bull confirmed that Tsunoda will not have a race seat next season, with Isack Hadjar joining Max Verstappen. Hadjar’s impressive rookie season led to a promotion to the senior Red Bull team for 2026, while Liam Lawson will partner with Arvid Lindblad in the sister squad. Despite losing his race seat, Tsunoda will remain part of the Red Bull family as a test and reserve driver. Honda’s offer included providing F1 engines at a discounted rate to Red Bull to ensure Tsunoda’s place on the grid, despite Honda’s switch to Aston Martin next season. Red Bull will develop its own powertrains with technical support from Ford starting in 2026 but will still rely on Honda power units for testing purposes. Ultimately, Red Bull did not accept Honda’s engine offer, but will receive a smaller discount on engines as part of retaining Tsunoda as a reserve and test driver.
