Being a talented junior driver from their fabled academy, Red Bull had little hesitation in bringing Yuki Tsunoda to F1. The Milton-Keynes-based squad’s sister team AlphaTauri—known as RB today—signed him in 2021, and Tsunoda has driven for them since, becoming one of the most experienced Japanese drivers of all time. As a matter of fact, he is a short distance away from becoming the most experienced.
There have been a handful of drivers from Japan in F1 over the years, and Tsunoda ranks third in the list of most number of Grand Prix appearances currently. He has 85, which means he is 10 away from taking the number one spot away from Ukyo Katayama. Behind Katayama is Takuma Sato, at 90.
With just two races remaining in 2024, Tsunoda won’t get to enjoy the distinction of becoming the all-time F1 veteran of his country this season. However, at the 2025 Monaco GP (the eighth round next season), he will.
Yuki is already Japan’s 3rd most experienced F1 driver at age 24 and will be number 1 by next season.
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The drivers ahead of Tsunoda are some of Japan’s biggest motorsport legends. Katayama, who drove for the likes of Larrousse, Tyrrell, and Minardi, competed in F1 between 1992 and 1997. His biggest success, however, came away from F1 when he won the 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Sato, meanwhile, although second on the list, tasted more success in F1. He has a solitary podium finish to his name, which came in the form of a P3 finish in Indianapolis back in 2004 when he was with BAR (British American Racing).
After his F1 days, he also went on to achieve more success in the Indy 500 — one of the biggest motorsports disciplines in the US. For Tsunoda, eclipsing the F1 career of Katayama and Sato will surely place him among the category of legends in Japanese motorsports.
Tsunoda’s legacy and future
There hasn’t been a lot of Japanese representation in F1 as of late, with the last full-time driver on the grid before Tsunoda being Kamui Kobayashi in 2014. Even today, the pipeline of talent from Japan looks dry, which is why Tsunoda needs to keep the flag waving high.
Honda, a Japanese company, has backed Tsunoda every step of the way. They are a respected brand within the sport, having won World Championships with teams like McLaren, Williams, and Red Bull in the past.
From 2026 onwards, Honda will join hands with Aston Martin, in hopes of elevating the Silverstone-based squad to new levels of success. However, it could leave Tsunoda in the dark since many believe it is Honda’s partnership with Red Bull (and consequently RB), which has kept him in the sport.
Tsunoda could follow his backers to Aston Martin or perform well in 2025 to prove that he deserves a spot on the grid on his merit. However, RB’s performance, which has often relegated him to the back of the grid, may not allow him to do that.
