Yuki Tsunoda narrowly missed the points on his Formula 1 return at the Dutch Grand Prix, finishing 11th for Racing Bulls after being called back into race action at Zandvoort. The Japanese driver crossed the line immediately ahead of team-mate Arvid Lindblad and admitted that, despite falling just short of the top 10, he thoroughly enjoyed being back behind the wheel.
The result brought Racing Bulls’ strong run to an end. For the first time since the Miami Grand Prix at the beginning of May, neither of the team’s cars finished in the points. Across the previous four Grands Prix, Lindblad and Liam Lawson had both managed to finish inside the top 10 at the same race.
Yuki Tsunoda narrowly misses points on Formula 1 return
Tsunoda returned to a full race seat at Zandvoort after a late reshuffle within the Red Bull driver line-up. Isack Hadjar’s wrist injury ruled the Red Bull driver out of the Dutch Grand Prix, prompting Lawson to move up from Racing Bulls to replace him.
That left Lawson’s Racing Bulls seat available for Tsunoda, who had been serving as a reserve driver. Despite having very little preparation time, the Japanese racer adapted quickly enough to challenge for points and ultimately finished 11th, one position ahead of Lindblad.
“I did everything I could today and I really enjoyed it,” Yuki Tsunoda said. “I’ve missed being out there, racing wheel-to-wheel and making overtakes, so it was great to experience that again.”
“We were really close to the points and just missed out, which was a shame, but overall it’s been an incredible few days. The team has supported me so much throughout the week, and I’ve been able to get up to speed quite quickly, so a huge thank you to everyone for giving me this opportunity.”
“I’ll take away some unforgettable memories from this weekend. Most importantly, I hope Isack has a speedy recovery.”
Hadjar had also sent Tsunoda a message before his unexpected Formula 1 comeback, underlining the unusual circumstances behind the Japanese driver’s return to the grid.
Arvid Lindblad penalty ruins Racing Bulls points challenge
Lindblad finished 12th after a strong performance was compromised by a drive-through penalty for a yellow-flag infringement on the opening lap.
“It’s a bit of a shame. We had a good start but were given a drive-through penalty due to a yellow flag infringement, which effectively took us out of the fight for the rest of the race.”
“With all the debris flying around, I was just focused on holding my line and avoiding anything on track. Once we got going again, I think it was probably one of the best races I’ve done this year in terms of pace, commitment to overtakes and helping the team where I could.”
Despite the penalty, Lindblad felt Racing Bulls had made useful progress with the car as the Zandvoort weekend developed.
“Overall I think we made good progress. We made some changes that helped us become more competitive as the weekend progressed. It’s disappointing not to come away with any points, but we’ll now turn our focus to preparing for the next race in Monza.”
Racing Bulls turns attention to Monza
The double finish outside the top 10 ended a particularly productive spell for Racing Bulls, but the pace shown by both drivers still offered encouragement. Tsunoda came within one place of scoring on a one-off return, while Lindblad recovered strongly after a penalty that effectively removed him from contention early in the race.
The team will now turn its attention to the Italian Grand Prix, the next round on the 2026 Formula 1 calendar. For Tsunoda, however, Zandvoort will remain memorable regardless of the result: after months away from a Formula 1 race seat, he was able to compete wheel-to-wheel again and came agonisingly close to marking his comeback with a championship point.
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