Yuki Tsunoda's one-off return at Zandvoort last weekend was a timely reminder of what the Japanese driver can offer.
Standing in for Liam Lawson at Racing Bulls after Isack Hadjar's wrist injury, Tsunoda qualified 12th, ran inside the top 10 during the race, and narrowly missed out on points with an 11th-place finish.
Not bad for someone who had driven just four times in eight months. "I think I was able to progress faster than I expected," Tsunoda said afterwards. "I think I did pretty okay."
Tsunoda has spent five full seasons within the Red Bull family, debuting with AlphaTauri in 2021 before staying through the Racing Bulls rebrand and eventually earning a promotion alongside Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing in 2025.
Despite 111 career starts, he was moved into a reserve role for 2026 and has been watching from the sidelines since.
He made no secret of his intentions after Sunday's race: "They should call me!"
So, should a team pick up the phone? Cast your vote in the poll below.
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Nick Golding and Samuel Coop as they look back on last weekend's Dutch Grand Prix! The duo discuss Max Verstappen's massive crash, if Lando Norris' title defence dream is alive and team orders starting to be used.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!