As Yuki Tsunoda prepares to become a test and reserve driver for Red Bull in 2026, Laurent Mekies has backed the Japanese driver to return to the grid in the future. After Sergio Perez's exit from the squad at the end of 2024, Liam Lawson was promoted to join Max Verstappen at Red Bull – but after two tough opening rounds, the New Zealander returned to Racing Bulls as part of a seat swap with Tsunoda. It would subsequently prove to be a challenging campaign for Tsunoda, who ended the season in 17th place of the Drivers' Championship with his best finish being a P6 in Azerbaijan. Ahead of the finale in Abu Dhabi, it was confirmed that Tsunoda will be replaced by Isack Hadjar on the race team in 2026, meaning that the 25-year-old will instead become a test and reserve driver for both Red Bull and Racing Bulls. Reflecting on the line-up call, Mekies – who previously worked with Tsunoda during his former role as Team Principal of Racing Bulls – admitted that it had not been an easy one to make. “It has been a very difficult decision to take,” the Frenchman explained. “The second seat in Oracle Red Bull Racing is not an easy one. “At some stage, we had to make the difficult call between where we were seeing that going for the following years. He will be reserve driver with us next year.” “You never know what's going to happen,” the team boss continued. It was very difficult for him to digest. Liam was getting the promotion in Red Bull Racing. “He went into the winter thinking, was he going to get the chance one day or not? Three races after, he was driving in that Oracle Red Bull Racing team. “So you never know what the future holds. But I am confident that he has a lot in him that will allow him to have another opportunity.”