F1 News: Yuki Tsunoda Sets Record Straight On Honda Relationship With Aston Martin Move

Yuki Tsunoda speaks out on the rumours linking him to a move to Aston Martin.

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda has come out in the open to clear the rumors that have been doing the rounds of him switching to Aston Martin once the team partners with Honda in 2026. However, he clearly stated that he intended to race for Red Bull.

The Japanese driver recently had his contract extended by Red Bull's sister team to the end of 2024. With Red Bull driver Sergio Perez's seat currently looking shaky amid performance concerns, there could be a deal in place in 2025 for Tsunoda or his teammate Daniel Ricciardo. 

He received constant support throughout his career from Honda. However, Tsunoda has been worried by the rumors of him joining Aston Martin in 2026, given its future partnership with the Japanese manufacturer. 

The 23-year-old driver doesn't want Red Bull to misunderstand him through the rumors as he looks forward to a future in F1 with the Milton Keynes outfit. When asked if he felt like he was an option for a Red Bull seat in the future, he said:

“I hope so, to be honest.

"Obviously, the main thing is I don’t want Red Bull to misunderstand something, like for example that I’m just focusing now on Aston Martin or anything [like that].

"I’m at AlphaTauri, and I’ve been with Red Bull since I was 18 years old. So, I am now focusing to perform for Red Bull, not for Aston Martin.

"Hopefully they don’t have misunderstood those things and hopefully they really consider my future seriously.

"If I perform well as a driver, hopefully they consider me more and obviously, if I didn’t, I understand. But if I’m able to show my performance, I would like to have a bit more kind of rotation.”

Red Bull will end its journey with engine supplier Honda after 2025 when the new power unit regulations kick in. The former has partnered with Ford to move ahead in the new era of F1, while the latter is set to partner with Aston Martin.

F1 News: Aston Martin Accelerates Its 2026 Engine Project With Honda

Asked whether Honda's 2026 partnership with Aston Martin could affect his future with Red Bull, Tsunoda replied:

“If that’s the case, I’m not happy with it.

"I don’t know how the conversations are going with Honda [and Red Bull], because Honda is still supplying the engine.

"But I think from the Honda side, what they’re saying is that as long as I can succeed, as long as a Japanese driver can one day achieve success, they don’t care where I go.

"They want a Japanese driver to be successful. Obviously, it would be lucky if we worked together and achieved success, but in the end they don’t care about it. And that’s what I really like about Honda.

"They don’t care which team you are at. So, I don’t think they’re really focusing on Aston Martin or whatever. They are just focusing as a driver, on Yuki Tsunoda, and the support to make me a successful driver.”

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