Despite their decision to discontinue their partnership with the Red Bull family after the 2025 season, Honda will not cut ties with Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese automobile manufacturer will continue to monitor the 23-year-old’s progress in the circus, even if it’s from afar. The F1 engine suppliers do not want to abandon their protege no matter what team they work with. In fact, Honda Racing Corp.’s CEO Koji Watanabe has suggested they will “keep a close eye” on Tsunoda’s progress.
After the Japanese brand had a change of heart about leaving F1, they decided to switch loyalties. They joined hands with Aston Martin as their engine manufacturer from 2026 onwards. This effectively ended their long-standing and successful relationship with Red Bull.
Despite the same, Watanabe told Autosport, “Even if it’s after we’re gone, we would like to keep a close eye on him (Tsunoda) rising to the top teams. Tsunoda has graduated from the Honda Racing school, so that’s why from the HRC point of view, it’s our dream that HRC students can become top drivers. So, it’s really important that Yuki becomes a top driver in Formula 1.”
However, despite Tsunoda’s strong performances, there is little to no mention of there being a possibility that Red Bull could promote him from V-CARB to the main team. This gave birth to a suggestion that Watanabe agreed could be a possibility.
Can Yuki Tsunoda move to Aston Martin with Honda?
Koji Watanabe has acknowledged that there is a possibility that Yuki Tsunoda could move to Aston Martin as Honda joins forces with the Silverstone-based team from 2026 onwards. When asked about the same, Watanabe said,
“We still don’t know what Aston Martin’s line-up will be like. (Fernando) Alonso has been confirmed, but I have not yet heard that Stroll has been confirmed. I don’t think there is a zero chance of that happening, so I think there is a possibility of that happening at this point“.
If Aston Martin refuses to sign Tsunoda, then Honda’s only other option would most likely be to personally sponsor the Japanese driver and help him move onto a bigger team.
Since Honda does not have any other customer teams for their engines, they would find it difficult to help Tsunoda move to any other side without providing a sufficient amount of sponsorship money.
