Yuki Tsunoda : Bio, Girlfriend, Age, Net Worth 2025

Japanese racing driver Yuki Tsunoda is aiming for RB in Formula One. Tsunoda, born May 11, 2000, in Sagamihara, Kanagawa, began professional karting at nine years old. Honda approved Yuki Tsunoda in 2016 under the Honda Formula Dream Project. One year later he won the F4 Japanese Championship and the East Series. Yuki Tsunoda entered FIA Formula 3 races running for Jenzer Motorsport in 2019. Tsunoda ended 2020 in third of his Formula 2 debut season for Carlin Motorsport.

Yuki Tsunoda Early Life

May 11, 2000 saw Yuki Tsunoda born in Sagamihara, Kanagawa. Before joining Wako High School in April 2017, he attended LCA International Elementary School and Nihon University Third High School. Starting his studies in April 2019 at Nippon Sport Science University’s Faculty of Sport Management, Yuki Tsunoda later took a break and finally withdrew to focus on his racing career.

Yuki Tsunoda Family

Yuki Tsunoda, the Japanese Formula 1 driver, comes from a supportive family that has played a vital role in his racing journey. Yuki father, Takashi Tsunoda, is a significant influence on Yuki’s career. Yuki Takashi has a background in the auto industry, which likely fueled Yuki’s early passion for motorsports. Yuki Tsunoda father’s love for cars and racing helped Yuki develop an interest in the sport from a young age. Yuki’s mother, although her name is not widely publicized, has been a key emotional support for him, always encouraging his dreams and helping him cope with the pressures of his career.

Yuki has one sibling, an older sister named Ayumi Tsunoda. While Ayumi prefers to stay out of the public eye, she has been supportive of her brother’s ambitions. The Yuki Tsunoda family has remained closely involved in Yuki’s career, with their unwavering support helping him advance from karting to Formula 4 and eventually to Formula 1.

Yuki Tsunado has often expressed gratitude for his family’s role in his success, particularly in helping him navigate the challenges that come with being a professional driver. Their support has been crucial as he continues to make his mark on the global motorsport stage.

Yuki Tsunoda Girlfriend

Right now, not much public knowledge exists about Yuki Tsunoda’s personal life or whether he has a partner. Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda of AlphaTauri usually keeps his personal life under quiet control. Like many famous personalities, he can decide to keep such specifics secret in order to keep his attention on his job and personal life free from the press.

browsing for the most current information? It might be worth browsing through his social media or recent interviews as occasionally celebrities disclose private information.

Yuki Tsunoda Biography in Brief

Name:	Yuki Tsunoda
Nick Name:	The Little Samurai
Age:	24 years
Born:	May 11, 2000
Height:	5’2″ (157 cm)
Weight:	54 kg (119 lbs)
Country of Origin:	Japan
Net Worth/Salary	$5 Million Net Worth & $2 Million Salary per year
Wife/Girlfriend	Not Yeat
Relationship Status	Unmarried
Kids-	No
Father	Tsunoda-san
Mother	Naomi Tsunoda
Siblings	Riko Tsunoda (Young Sister)
Social Media	Twitter – Instagram – Facebook

Yuki Tsunoda Net Worth

Yuki Tsunoda may have value of $5 million. The Japanese driver has progressed during his remarkable career to Formula 1, driving for Red Bull. Thanks to Honda and personal sponsors, Tsunoda has developed in the sport and gained additional honors.

The net value of Yuki Tsunoda is clear-defined.

Yuki Tsunoda’s salary

According to some accounts, Yuki Tsunoda makes $2 million a year—excluding incentives. Up until 2025, the Japanese F1 driver is under Red Bull contract.

Yuki Tsunoda Career

Beginning his professional karting career in 2010, Tsunoda joined the JAF Junior karting championship before advancing to the regional class in 2013 and then to the national class in 2014.

Japanese Formula 4

Following advanced formula class graduation from Honda’s Suzuka Circuit Racing School [ja], Yuki Tsunoda joined the Honda Formula Dream Project [ja]. He made his single-seater F4 Japanese Championship debut during a one-off event in Suzuka with the Sutekina Racing Team. Yuki Tsunoda finished fourth in the second race and scored his first podium with second in the first one.

Along with competing the regional East series of the JAF F4 Japanese Championship, Yuki Tsunoda began his first full season of single-seater racing in the F4 Japanese Championship in 2017. He would first win a race in Okayama. While ranking third in the national Formula 4 championship, Yuki Tsunoda took home the regional championship title. He challenged Honda’s two titles.

In 2018 Yuki Tsunoda kept racing in Japanese F4 with the Honda Formula Dream Project squad. By 14 points, Yuki Tsunoda defeated competing Teppei Natori in the last race at Motegi to accumulate seven victories and earn the title.

FIA F3 Championship

Along with Honda’s program, Yuki Tsunoda also joined the Red Bull junior squad while Honda was tying in Formula One. Yuki Tsunoda was revealed at the end of 2018 to be joining Jenzer Motorsport in the just announced FIA Formula 3 Championship. In the first race in Barcelona, he placed tenth with his first point; in Race 2, he placed ninth.

Paul Ricard scored more points; he came away eighth in Race 1 and battled to ninth in Race 2 from second. Though he missed points in Austria, Tsunoda returned with sixth in Race 2 in Silverstone. With ninth and sixth place, he collected points in Budapest. He qualified in surprising third position at Spa-Francorchamps. In Race 1 the Japanese racer slid to sixth; in Race 2 he made a breakthrough second place from third.

For Tsunoda, Monza proved productive; he finished fourth on the road but was elevated to the podium after Marcus Armstrong paid a penalty. From sixth, a blazing start in Race 2 drove him to third at the start. Following Fabio Scherer, he would pass Jake Hughes on lap 15 to mark his sole F3 victory of the year. Having scored all of the Jenzer team’s points during the season, he placed eighth in the championship with 67 points including three podiums and a victory. Tsunoda placed eleventh in the Macau Grand Prix.

Euroformula Open

Tsunoda also competed for Motopark in the Euroformula Open Championship when the Formula European Masters had to be canceled. Tsunoda ranked second in the opening race at Paul Ricard and third in the Pau Grand Prix. He his the championship in the second race held at Hockenheim.

During the second race in Spa-Francorchamps, Tsunoda collided with teammate Liam Lawson. In the first race, Lawson came second. At Monza, it was his second top finish in a succession. Tsunoda finished fourth in the championship with 151 points, one win, and five additional podiums even though F3 responsibilities forced him to miss two races.

Toyota Racing Series

Before the start of his 2020 season, Tsunoda partook in the 2020 Toyota Racing Series with M2 Competition alongside Liam Lawson. Tsunoda scored only one win throughout the campaign, during the second race at the opening round in Highlands Motorsport Park. Two further third places later landed him fourth place in the championship.

Formula 2 Championship

Early 2020 saw Honda say that Tsunoda will compete in the FIA Formula 2 Championship with Carlin and fresh Red Bull athlete Jehan Daruvala. The COVID-19 epidemic forced the season to start in Austria in July instead of Bahrain. On debut, he topped free practice; he qualified as 12th. On the opening lap of the main race, he ran into Daruvala and finished last but improved to 11th on Sunday.

In the second Austrian round Tsunoda won his first pole. For much of the race, he led in wet conditions; unfortunately, a radio problem delayed his pit stop. Late pitting two laps, he slid to fourth rank but overtook the Virtuosi drivers for second. Sadly, an engine problem caused him to retire on lap 10. Having zero points, he finished 16th and 18th in Hungary in another depressing round.

Tsunoda qualified tenth in Silverstone and tore to third, passing Christian Lundgaard on the last lap. Callum Ilott pulling him out on the first lap resulted in yet another sprint race calamity. Tsunoda qualified tenth and came sixth in the main race in the second Silverstone round. Up until lap 19 of 21, when two Prema drivers wrecked and Tsunoda won his maiden sprint race, he raced third. Following the race, Tsunoda remarked “he had the potential for P1 even without late Prema crash”.

Tsunoda came in sixth in Barcelona. Following a safety car restart, Tsunoda led momentarily on lap 30 as the frontrunners stopped once more; he slid to fourth on fresher tires, including his countrymen Nobuharu Matsushita. In sprints, he once more placed fourth.

Tsunoda spent Spa-Francorchamps posting his second pole of the year. Tsunoda dropped behind Nikita Mazepin during a messy pit stop in the main race but caught him on lap 20. Mazepin was punished five-seconds for shoving Tsunoda wide on the last lap while defending. Tsunoda won after second on the road. A time penalty for Ilott hitting at the start dropped Tsunoda to ninth in the sprint race. In Monza qualifying he came second.

Tsunoda started slow in the main race, which dropped him to fifth. He finished fourth. Mechanical problems drove him out of the race. He slid to 16th after qualifying 11th and finishing eighth in the main race at Mugello and was fined for collision with Dan Ticktum. He finished 20th in the sprint race after injuring his front wing striking Felipe Drugovich on the fourth final lap.

Ahead of Daruvala, Tsunoda grabbed his third pole in Sochi. Mick Schumacher passed him first; on the penultimate lap he finished second but beat Ilott. Tsunoda ranked sixth in the sprint. Before the two-month hiatus before the last two events, Tsunoda was third in the standings 44 points behind Schumacher. Tsunoda went out on his flying lap and came last in Bahrain. His other approach drove to sixth really brilliantly.

Tsunoda lost his sprint race’s momentum with a puncture on lap 1 from a collision with Marcus Armstrong, finishing fifteenth. His was the second Bahrain round pole. In still another feature race, the Japanese driver beat Mazepin. Overtaking Ticktum on the last lap guaranteed second place in the sprint. Generally speaking. Tsunoda third in the championship with three victories, four pole positions, seven podiums, and 200 points.

Formula One career

November 2020 saw him test run his first Formula One vehicle, a Toro Rosso STR13 at Imola Circuit. Held at Yas Marina Circuit, he drove for AlphaTauri the next month the last race of the season. He tested additional STR14 at the Imola Circuit and the Misano Circuit over the winter break.

Racing Bulls / AlphaTauri (2021–present)

2021

For the 2021 season, Tsunoda replaced Daniil Kvyat and played with Pierre Gasly at AlphaTauri. Originally running with the number 11 in karts, he doubled it as it was already taken. His vehicle number is 22 nowadays.

Tsunoda ranked 13th for the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, however second quickest in Q1. On the penultimate lap he overtook Lance Stroll and finished in eighth position. Following the event, Ross Brawn, F1’s technological chief, dubbed Tsunoda “F1’s best rookie for years”.

He wrecked in the third qualifying session (Q3) for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and had to start from the rear of the field. He was in eighth place before the race was paused; he spun during the restart and finished in thirteenth. Then he apologized for inquiring whether he and his friend Gasly had “the same car” following qualifying sixteenth for the Spanish Grand Prix. An electrical issue later forced him to stop running the marathon. His first F1 departure came.

He wrecked at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix following his first-time arrival to Q3, raising a red flag. Though he was “mad” during the race as he had lost two positions at the red flag restart, he finished eighth, which was his best place thus far. Tsunoda suffered another collision in trying to qualify for the French Grand Prix. He started from the pit lane and came 13th. He made it to Q3 once more at the Styrian Grand Prix, qualifying seventh, although he lost three spaces on the grid for obstructing Valtteri Bottas.

Notwithstanding radio issues, he came in eighth position. Once more, he arrived at Q3 at the Austrian Grand Prix and secured eighth, his highest qualifying finish thus far. He decided to make two stops, however he finished in 12th place and lost points when he crossed the pit entrance line. Completing tenth during the British Grand Prix, he made a point. Starting 16th, Sergio Pérez’s late pit stop had benefitted him. Although he qualified 16th once more for the Hungarian Grand Prix, he avoided the collisions on lap 1 and profited from Sebastian Vettel’s disqualification to finish sixth, which exceeded his greatest F1 performance.

Tsunoda qualified in 15th position in qualifying for the Dutch Grand Prix, however his power unit broke down in the pits so he did not reach the finish of the race. He collided with Robert Kubica during sprint practice for the next race, the Italian Grand Prix. His brakes failed, hence he also struggled to start the race. Tsunoda got it to Q3 in every other Grands Prix save one. He ran Lewis Hamilton for several laps at the Turkish Grand Prix.

He ended 14th nevertheless, and lost points when he spun out. He began in tenth position in the United States Grand Prix but passed teammate Gasly to rank ninth. It was his first point following the summer vacation. Having to install extra components to his power unit, he qualified eighth for the Mexico City Grand Prix but had to start at the back. Though he stirred by maybe obstructing the Red Bull vehicles, he was not penalized. After the first lap, he collided with Esteban Ocon and fell out of the race.

A accident with Lance Stroll cost him time and placed him in fifteenth position in the São Paulo Grand Prix. Though he did not score any points in either the Qatar or Saudi Arabian Grands Prix, he was in the top 10 in both. He apologized for his involvement in the later Sebastian Valky disaster. He came seventh in the penultimate round of the season, the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This was the first time he performed better than ousted Q2 teammate Gasly, all season. Tsunoda finished fourth and scored twelve points, his best ever mark.

Tsunoda scored 32 points; Gasly had 110. Gasly ranked 14th in the drivers’ championship.

2022

AlphaTauri signed Tsunoda and Gasly till 2022. Tsunoda collected four points for qualifying 16th and finishing eighth at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix. He missed qualifying for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix due to a fuel problem; a power unit malfunction prohibited starting. Tsunoda qualified 16th in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, ahead of Gasly, and came 12th in the sprint. Late in the contest, he passed Sebastian Vettel for sixth.

He rated it as his best Formula One race. His first Q3 effort of the season qualified seventh at the Miami Grand Prix. But lack of speed and an early pit stop put him to 12th at the flag. Starting 13th, he finished tenth at the Spanish Grand Prix and scored points for the third time in six events.

Then a twelve-race run free from points followed. Though qualified 11th in Q2, Tsunoda wrecked in Monaco Grand Prix qualifying. For him, the race finished seventeenth. At the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Tsunoda qualified brilliantly seventh. He was sixth before a DRS failure had him stop for repairs and finished 13th overall. He started from the rear and crashed leaving the pits in the Canadian Grand Prix because of an engine penalty.

On lap 1 of the British Grand Prix he fractured his front wing and clashed with Gasly on lap 10. Tsunoda apologized after finishing 13th and corrected 14th. Sixth was his qualifying score for the French Grand Prix. Following a few circuits, a first-lap incident involving Esteban Ocon caused Tsunoda to pull out. Having qualified 16th for the Hungarian Grand Prix, Tsunoda finished 19th two laps down.

Starting from the pit lane, Tsunoda came 13th in the Belgian Grand Prix. Tsunoda started seventh at the Dutch Grand Prix but withdrew with a differential problem. Stopping at the track and releasing his seatbelts before going back to the pits resulted in a grid penalty for the Italian Grand Prix and a sixth reprimand of the season. Not stopping for yellow flags in practice got him two penalty points and a grid penalty at that event. He arranged 14.

Singapore Grand Prix: Tsunoda made eighth qualifying. Two spots were lost to a little mistake before he crashed out on lap 35. Tsunoda came 13th in his first home race, the Japanese Grand Prix, ahead of Gasly.

Tsunoda started 19th at the US Grand Prix, acquired five spots on the first lap, and came tenth. After an extended drought, he at last scored. Daniel Ricciardo’s accident sent him from 11th place in the Mexico City Grand Prix flying. Tsunoda was the only driver lapped during the São Paulo Grand Prix; a safety car issue led him to finish 17th. Tsunoda missed points but came 11th in the final race at Abu Dhabi.

With 12 points versus Gasly’s 23, Tsunoda ended 17th in the drivers’ championship.

2023

Tsunoda teamed rookie Nyck de Vries in 2023 as Gasly headed for Alpine. Following a poor start and somewhat over a second behind Alex Albon, Tsunoda came 11th in the Bahrain Grand Prix. Thanks to a safety car, Tsunoda pitted and finished tenth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Kevin Magnussen with five circuits left overtook two Alpine cars, and he came third for the third consecutive race. Tsunoda started 12th and raced sixth following the second red flag, but he was demoted to 11th after the third stop. Carlos Sainz Jr.’s penalty put him up to seventh, delivering AlphaTauri first point of the year. After the first races, Tsunoda was praised.

He debuted in Q3 of the 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His sprint collision with teammate De Vries caused him to withdraw after smashing a wall. His tenth-place result brought still another point. Starting 17th at the Miami Grand Prix, Tsunoda came 11th, behind Kevin Magnussen.

He reached Q3 and was ninth in the Monaco Grand Prix; then, braking problems reduced him to fifteenth. Although he came ninth at the Spanish Grand Prix, he was punished for pushing Zhou Guanyu off the course, therefore excluding him from the points. Later, Tsunoda said the punishment was “ridiculous” and charged Zhou with pretending to be resigned. After a collision with Esteban Ocon broke his front wing during the Austrian Grand Prix, he accumulated many post-race fines for track rules infractions.

After De Vries was let go, Tsunoda teamed with Daniel Ricciardo at the Hungarian Grand Prix. His fifteenth place finish came two behind Ricciardo. Running sixth early on, he finished ninth in the Belgian Grand Prix—his first points since April. Ricciardo broke his hand, so Liam Lawson joined Tsunoda at AlphaTauri following the Dutch Grand Prix. Running brilliantly in the top 10 early in a dry-wet race, he ended fifteenth behind Lawson.

Though his engine failed on the formation lap, Tsunoda qualified 11th in the Italian Grand Prix. He crashed with Sergio Pérez on the first lap of the Singapore Grand Prix, being eliminated. Tsunoda qualified tenth in his home race at the Japanese Grand Prix in Q3, therefore delighting Japanese supporters. On race day, he slid from the points to 12th place, trailing his teammate Lawson.

Tsunoda climbed up to ninth during the US Grand Prix and pounced late to get his fastest lap when Fernando Alonso retired. Tsunoda advanced to ninth after Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc were dismissed; he had his first points since summer. Starting from the back at the Mexico City Grand Prix, he carried additional power unit parts. Oscar Piastri spun him after startling his points midway through the race, and he lamented not completing 12th.

Tsunoda got kicked from Q1 in Brazil in 16th. After passing Hamilton, his sprint speed was far superior and he came sixth. Tsunoda began tenth but, following a little mistake, finished ninth. Tsunoda qualified sixth, career best, at the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Having a rigorous one-stop strategy, he guided a first-time runner. His strategy failed; Hamilton came in sixth. Though he did not help AlphaTauri surpass Williams for P7 in the constructors, he earned Driver of the Day in the season finale.

With 17 points Tsunoda placed 14th in 2023.

2024

AlphaTauri became RB Formula One Team in 2024 and retained Tsunoda and Ricciardo. Starting 11th in the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, Tsunoda was racing Kevin Magnussen for 12th when he was instructed to let Ricciardo go, complaining. Having finished 14th, he dovebombed Ricciardo on the cooldown lap to let out some resentment. Tsunoda qualified ninth for his first Q3 of the year at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix; but, he slipped behind on race day and placed fifteenth following another fight with Magnussen.

Sixteenth was the Australian qualifying. After nailing his approach, he finished sixth once more being praised for “big steps” and accumulating his first points of 2024. Tsunoda went back to Q3 for his home Japanese Grand Prix. Having been trapped in the middle mid-race, he finished tenth with a fantastic second pit stop, making history as the first Japanese driver to score points on domestic ground since 2012.

Magnussen forced Tsunoda to quit from the Chinese Grand Prix after knocking him into a spin during a safety car restart. Tsunoda was seventh in the Miami Grand Prix sprint, collecting a point. Once more surpassing Mercedes’ George Russell, he placed sixth in the main race. Following his Q3 performances, he placed tenth and eighth in the Emilia Romagna and Monaco Grands Prix. Still on an outstanding qualification run, he placed tenth in Canada.

Running close behind Ricciardo, he spun at the conclusion of the race to place 14th. Tsunoda suffered at the Spanish and Austrian Grand Prixs notwithstanding RB gains. Tsunoda started 13th in the British Grand Prix, used the poor circumstances to finish tenth, then finished ninth in Hungary following a severe Q3 collision. Having an engine penalty send him to the bottom of the race, he finished 16th at the Belgian Grand Prix.

 

Starting 12th, he finished 17th at the Dutch Grand Prix. A poor pit plan cost him. After Nico Hülkenberg and Lance Stroll collided without his fault, he retired in the Italian and Azerbaijani Grand Prixs. Tsunoda would partnered Liam Lawson in the US Grand Prix instead of Ricciardo.

He qualified 11th, then Lawson jumped him in the pitstop and spun out to finish 14th. Following a bad weekend at Mexico City Grand Prix, qualifying fell apart as Alex Albon knocked out him on the first lap from behind. Third in a session saturated in rain, Tsunoda scored his best qualifying position in the São Paulo Grand Prix. Early in the race, Tsunoda set on wet tyres was closing in; then, Franco Colapinto raised a red flag enabling for free pit stops. Oscar Piastri came sixth with his penalty helping him.

Seeking entry into the nation, CBP officials at Harry Reid International Airport spent several hours interviewing Tsunoda the week before the Las Vegas Grand Prix. After fighting Nico Hülkenberg, he finished eighth in Las Vegas. Tsunoda came 13th in the Grand Prix at Qatar Grand Prix and 16th in the sprint in a slow weekend for RB. Starting 11th for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Tsunoda dropped behind following an anti-stall and came in 12th.

With 30 points, Tsunoda completed 12th in the drivers’ championship, his highest Formula 1 finish. His team principle, Laurent Mekies, claimed this season he “made a step that nobody could forecast”.

2025

RB announced in June 2024 that Tsunoda’s contract will be extended until 2025.

Yuki Tsunoda Interesting Facts

• At 5’2″ (157 cm), Yuki is among the shortest F1 drivers; yet, his fierce attitude and bold driving style offset this.
• Yuki is renowned for his vivid and humorous racing radio shows. His pranks connected to racing have made fans laugh.
• Although Yuki’s first racing experience was karting, he hated it as the karts were so slow! It finally convinced him.
• Yuki cooks and loves food—especially Japanese cuisine. He teased creating “perfect” ramen during the off-season.
• Yuki laughs around with his colleagues and engineers. His laughter makes team radio conversations joyful.
• Yuki’s odd Instagram pictures, which feature interesting behind-the-scenes events, have attracted attention accidentally. His cheerful off-track image contrasts with his fierce racing attitude.
• Though Yuki is fluent in English, his “I Don’t Speak English” quip during a live interview made news early in his F1 career. His candor appealed to readers.
• Yuki, although shorter than most drivers, is renowned for his forceful driving. Among friends and colleagues, his small size has given him the nickname “the little Samurai.”
• To much Pierre Gasly’s delight, Yuki once pranked him by hiding his headphones before a team briefing.
• Yuki likes children and regularly tries to make them laugh by drawing amusing expressions.