Yuki Tsunoda revealed that he was at the beach when he was informed that he might have to race at the Formula 1 Dutch GP this weekend.
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The Japanese driver received the call on Tuesday, early in the week, about the possible rotation at Red Bull for Zandvoort – with Isack Hadjar’s injury, the Austrian team promoted Liam Lawson alongside Max Verstappen, while Tsunoda races for Racing Bulls.
“I was in Greece with my manager and other friends. We were spending time together; I was at the beach. I don’t want people to create a different story, as if I had been at the beach the whole time,” he said.
“I kept training and everything else. But at the moment I got the call from my manager, I was at the beach, relaxed, watching that beautiful sea. Suddenly, I got a call: ‘Alright, you need to go to the UK.’ I had just arrived in Greece, had been there for only 24 hours, and they already wanted me to go to the UK. I asked: ‘Why?’ ‘Oh, maybe you need to race this week,’” he continued.
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Although he is off the track in the 2026 F1 season, Yuki highlighted that due to relentless training, he is in shape. “Physically and mentally, I am sharp, as I have been training almost every day for quite some time. I have a lot of time to train since I had nothing else to do besides that. I did four TPC sessions [tests with cars from previous years] and completed the equivalent of about five race distances,” he said.
“So, I am well prepared and gained a lot of track experience in these tests. Now, I just need to adapt to this car, which I imagine will be quite different in terms of sensations, procedures, how to start it, and everything else. Having only one free practice will be a challenge. But that’s why I’m not setting expectations for now. The goal is just to enjoy and have fun, something I wanted to do for a long time,” he concluded.
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