Yuki Tsunoda is out of his Red Bull Racing seat, relegated to test and reserve duties while staying in the fold. But for 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, the demotion is old news – predictable, overdue, and a chance for the Japanese driver to count his blessings.
According to the always outspoken Canadian, Tsunoda's fate was sealed ages ago, outshone by teammate Max Verstappen and edged out by rising talent Isack Hadjar, who dazzled in his debut year with Racing Bulls to earn the thumbs-up from Red Bull’s top brass, Laurent Mekies and Helmut Marko.
“We all knew that months ago. It’s not an announcement. Lawson was the last question mark. They were just waiting and waiting and waiting. Tsunoda knew it as well, you saw it with his demeanour,” Villeneuve told CoinPoker.
He even hinted at cracks in support from engine partner Honda, noting the vibes weren't exactly enthusiastic.
“Even Honda were not really super positive about it, you could tell that the message had been passed.”
Last weekend in Qatar, Tsunoda made every effort – out of the car, unfortunately – to argue his case, insisting that he was recently able to get closer to Verstappen than any of his predecessors
“I think I’m showing what I can do, and I don’t think within my seat [others have] consistently [been] able to drive like this close,” he told reporters.
“I didn’t see much drivers like this, able to achieve like this step in the middle of the season and went through very, very difficult moments with the beginning of the season.”
Villeneuve believes Tsunoda should ultimately view his five-year stint in F1 as a success, not a disappointment.
“Tsunoda should be happy, thankful that he’s had such a long and fruitful career in the first place. He got his chance, it did not work out,” he said.
“But he has made a big name for himself. He still has a long future in racing, and he will still earn a lot of money racing. He'll go back, maybe to race in Japan. He is a star now in Japan and normally that will last forever. So he has made his name, he is fine.”
Villeneuve rejects the idea that Tsunoda’s failure to thrive at Red Bull speaks poorly of him. The real issue, he says, is sharing a garage with a generational force like Max Verstappen.
“It is not tough being number two at Red Bull, it is tough to be next to a driver of that calibre in Max,” he explained.
“Like it was tough to be next to Senna, was tough to be next to Mansell, was tough to be next to Piquet, it was tough to be next to Prost, it was tough to be next to Schumacher.
“That is just the way it is. It has always been tough to be next to Alonso. He is one of those drivers.”
Hadjar is the only young gun climbing the ladder in 2026 – Arvid Lindblad’s direct promotion into F1 continues Red Bull’s tradition of bold, sometimes brutal, driver decisions. Villeneuve says nobody can assume he’ll shine immediately.
“We do not know enough about Arvid Lindblad,” Villeneuve noted. “It is really hard to judge from Formula 2 as well. Some drivers are amazing in Formula 3, Formula 2 and useless in F1. Some others, they become better in F1, like Bearman, for example.
”That's Red Bull's DNA: bet big on raw potential, but yank the ripcord if it fizzles.
“It is really hard to judge, but Red Bull has always been the kind of team or organisation that is willing to take the gamble and go for it. But then they are also happy to get rid of them. They do not keep them there forever.
“They are more of the attitude, we give you a chance, and if you are not good enough, you are out.”
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Villeneuve backs this cutthroat approach as elite-level gospel.
“At the top level, that is the right attitude,” he said. “The drivers who go into Red Bull know. They know the risk they are taking. They know they are getting a good chance, and then it is for them to make the most of it.”
For Tsunoda, the Red Bull chapter may be closing – but in Villeneuve’s eyes, the story he’s written already is one he should be proud of.
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