Yuki Tsunoda has told Red Bull he believes he is "on the right trajectory" to retain his seat as Red Bull's major 2026 decision looms.
Tsunoda had been widely expected to be dropped from the senior Red Bull team for 2026 following poor performances, but a breakthrough since the summer break has turned his fortunes around, aided by an improvement in race pace.
The Japanese racer finished both the Sprint and grand prix in Austin in seventh place, whilst he also scored a season-best sixth in Azerbaijan, his best result since fourth at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Of the current Red Bull-backed family of drivers, current Racing Bulls driver Isack Hadjar had been expected to be promoted, with F2 protege Arvid Lindblad also promoted to Racing Bulls.
That would leave Tsunoda and Liam Lawson to fight over one seat, but given his upturn in form, Tsunoda believes he is confident of "the situation I am in."
"I think definitely I’m on the right trajectory, and improving lots of stuff, so I’m confident in what I’m doing now and just keep pushing to score points," Tsunoda told media, including RacingNews365.
"I think there is still potential to be in P2 in the Teams’ Championship, and there's still potential for Max to win the World Championship, so I try to be in front of these guys and help as much as possible.
"I’m confident in what I’ve done and the situation I’m in. Obviously, I try to give the best as much as possible to improve myself as soon as possible and score points.
"I'll just keep doing what I’m doing. It’s up to [Red Bull], really. It’s what kind of team line-up they want.
"But I think I’ve improved a lot of things, and I also keep improving myself to deserve… that I can be in the same team next year."
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