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Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen delivers Yuki Tsunoda farewell gift after Red Bull exit

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda have said goodbye ahead of the 2026 F1 season, with the latter dropping down to a reserve role at Red Bull.

Verstappen Tsunoda
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Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda have exchanged helmets as goodbye presents after the Japanese driver lost his seat at Red Bull.

The 25-year-old will continue with the Milton Keynes-based squad in 2026, but only in a reserve capacity, with Isack Hadjar taking his drive.

Racing Bulls will run Liam Lawson and rookie Arvid Lindblad, leaving Tsunoda on the outside looking in for the first campaign of F1's new regulatory era.

As a parting gift, Verstappen and his outgoing team-mate swapped signed crash lids, with a social media post shared with photos of the pair. The caption read: "Arigato Yuki-san 🤝".

Since taking over the second RB21 from Lawson two rounds into the 2025 season, Tsunoda struggled. Whilst he was undeniably a step up from the New Zealander, he could not provide the level of performance expected by the six-time F1 constructors' champions.

The second seat is an issue that has plagued Red Bull since Daniel Ricciardo left at the end of 2018, with Pierre Gasly, Alex Albon, and eventually Sergio Perez also failing to make the grade.

Check out the social media post of Verstappen and Tsunoda below!

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