Yuki Tsunoda admitted that on the eve of Red Bull’s official decision, he heard rumors that he would retain his place in Formula 1 within the Red Bull system, but the truth turned out to be completely different.

Before the last stage of the season in Abu Dhabi, it was announced that Isak Hajar will replace the Japanese in 2026. Racing Bulls duo will be Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad. As a result, Tsunoda will move into the role of Red Bull’s reserve and test driver at the start of the new era.

Tsunoda was informed about the team’s 2026 plans after the Qatar Grand Prix and, according to him, was already mentally preparing for his reserve role. But shortly before the official meeting, he heard completely different information.

“I was told of the decision after the race in Qatar, but it was not taken seriously at first,” Tsunoda said.

“I was prepared for this scenario, but the news was different from what I had heard before, so it surprised me.”

The Japanese also noted that the decision could change at the last minute:

“I heard before the briefing that the whole thing could literally be replayed. There were many reasons for this, of course. But when they told me I wouldn’t have a permanent position next year it didn’t feel like the end of the world.”

“Abu Dhabi was ahead, so I immediately focused on the next race.”

Despite the disappointment of moving to the reserve driver position, the driver hinted that his role at Red Bull could be broader than the standard job of reserve driver.

“There is a possibility that my duty will not be limited to simulator and reserve pilot status,” Tsunoda said.

I’ve already heard a few possible scenarios. “I’ll rest for now and then start preparing for next season.”

Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu said he did not rule out the possibility of attracting a driver linked to Toyota in the future, but stressed that the main criterion will always be results, not financial support.

Earlier this year, Toyota announced that it would be the title sponsor of Haas starting from the 2026 season. This was the next step in the development of cooperation between the parties, which began with a technical partnership more than a year ago.

At the same time, Komatsu denied the assumption that Toyota’s increased role was the beginning of a full takeover of the team. According to him, cooperation focuses primarily on staff development and exchange of experience.

When asked whether Toyota constantly raises the issue of driver performance in Formula 1, Komatsu answered in the affirmative.

“Yes, of course. One of Toyota’s many goals is to develop people, and pilots are part of that process,” he said.

Toyota has an extensive driver training program in various series, particularly the World Endurance Championship and Japanese Super Formula. However, Komatsu stressed that Haas was not ready to sacrifice athletic performance for the sake of partnership interests.

“What is important is speed and results. Everyone who gets behind the wheel of our car must be the best choice in terms of performance,” emphasized the team leader.

The ground effect era, a regulation that came into force in 2022, has ended. The cars of this generation turned out to be durable, require ultra-low settings and, frankly, not suitable for all pilots.

But there were also those for whom this situation became a chance to reveal themselves in the best way. They revealed their potential in these four seasons and wrote their names in Formula 1 history. Although there were only two champions during this period, many more drivers made their presence known at some stages.

This material includes 10 pilots who performed best during the ground effect period. The main selection criterion was performance on the track; the results of racers who found themselves behind the wheel of competitive equipment and managed to realize their potential as effectively as possible.

First of all, championships and victories were the deciding factors, but if a driver had more points, podiums or pole positions, this was also taken into account, as was technique or the brilliance of the results.

Like any rating, it’s a bit subjective, so feel free to leave your options in the comments.

10th place – Pierre Gasly

Team: Alpha Tauri (2022), Alpin (2023 – 2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podiums: 2
Score: 149

The Frenchman opens the ranking of the most striking and at the same time influential racers of the ground effect era. Yes, in the same period there were drivers who scored more points or were on the podium more often; especially Antonelli or Ocon. However, among the teams in the middle tier, it was driver Pierre Gasly who constantly struggled for higher positions than those he should have with his equipment.

Gasly regularly showed the maximum possible in a technique clearly inferior to his rivals. Particularly impressive were his occasional qualifying performances, such as his 3rd-place finish in Las Vegas in 2024 or a top-5 finish in Bahrain this season. Such results seemed especially valuable considering the actual speed of the car.

For much of this cycle, Pierre was consistently ahead of his teammates. The only exception was his first season with Alpin, but later it was he who established himself as the leader of the team.

The high point of this segment was two podium finishes. Claiming first place at the 2023 Dutch Grand Prix and then bronze at the historic 2024 Brazilian Grand Prix, Gasly and his partner sensationally outperformed all their rivals in extremely difficult rain conditions, losing only to Max Verstappen.

9th place – Fernando Alonso

Team: Alpin (2022), Aston Martin (2023 – 2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 0
Wins: 0
Podium: 8
Score: 403

The Spaniard has performed strongly in the first half of the ground effect period, especially in 2023. Switching to Aston Martin at a time when the team was one of the first to copy Red Bull’s decision and enter the leaderboard, albeit briefly, gave the Spaniard the opportunity to challenge for the podium, winning eight of them in that time.

The long-awaited 33rd victory has yet to materialise, but it was extremely close with the team at the 2023 Monaco Grand Prix. Max Verstappen’s second place in the standings after his unexpected pole position until the last meters and a mistake he made in the race strategically deprived him of the opportunity to win gold, but it did not overshadow Fernando’s achievements.

Aston Martin is expected to be in contention next year as well, so it’s possible that 44-year-old Fernando could re-establish himself among the best of the new era.

8th place – Lewis Hamilton

Team: Mercedes (2022 – 2024), Ferrari (2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 1
Wins: 2
Podiums: 20
Score: 853

After the truly historic championship fight in 2021, everyone expected the Hamilton-Mercedes duo to enter a new era with a chance for revenge. However, neither the team nor Lewis were in good shape.

Mercedes made a mistake with its excessive “zero pontoon” concept, hard and sharp cars with a grounding effect did not suit Hamilton at all.

The high-profile move to Ferrari didn’t help either. On the contrary, by the end of the year the ambitious and optimistic champion had turned into a gloomy version of himself, both in results and in statements in interviews.

He had achieved only two wins and one pole position in the previous period. It scored a lot of points compared to some of its rivals, but was definitely behind in other respects.

7th place – Sergio Perez

Team: Red Bull (2022 – 2024)
Titles: 0
Poles: 3
Wins: 4
Podiums: 24
Score: 742

Checo successfully co-piloted Red Bull from 2021 to 2023. However, a further decline in form, frequent accidents at the beginning of qualifying and an increasing gap to Max forced the Red Bull management to decide to terminate the contract early. True, other results from Lawson and Tsunoda showed the Mexican’s performance from a slightly different angle.

During this time he won four times and achieved a further 24 podiums despite missing a year.

He will return to Cadillac’s rookie roster next season.

6th place – Carlos Sainz

Team: Ferrari (2022 – 2024), Williams (2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 6
Wins: 4
Podiums: 23
Score: 782

The son of a two-time rally champion had an extremely successful spell at Ferrari from 2022 to 2024. During this period, he was the team’s only driver to win every season, and in 2023, he became the only non-Red Bull driver.

Despite this, the team parted ways with him in favor of seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton, but this later did not produce the desired results. Instead, Carlos, who strengthened the Williams Racing squad despite poor results at the beginning of the adaptation period, performed outstandingly in the second half of the championship, scoring important podiums and still remaining the last winner of the Scuderia before the start of the 2026 season.

The Spaniard has always distinguished himself as an excellent strategist during the races, perhaps the best among drivers in this component, while also consistently demonstrating high speed on the track.

5th place – George Russel

Team: Mercedes (2022 – 2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 7
Wins: 5
Podiums: 23
Score: 1014

Previously a member of the team, George gradually became the leader of the Silver Arrows, which was finally confirmed in 2025. He was the only one to pick up points during a difficult period for the team in mid-season, even winning in Canada and then finishing first in Singapore, triumphing in dominant style both times.

Despite recent bad rumors about his future, the British pilot has signed a long-term contract with Mercedes and is one of the favorites, if not the biggest favorite, to win the championship next season.

4th place – Oscar Piastri

Team: McLaren (2023 – 2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 6
Wins: 9
Podiums: 26
Score: 799

The Alpina trainee, who rejected a contract with his home team in favor of McLaren, gradually transformed from a promising newcomer to one of the best drivers on the grid.

The Australian made his debut in 2023 and already won the podium in the first year, won his first victory in the second and this season fought for the title and led the championship for a long time, at a certain moment with a 24-point difference over his closest pursuer. However, a series of mistakes and loss of form at the end of the season deprived him of the chance for the championship or even second place.

He is one of the most attractive drivers on the market right now and nearly every team sees him as an option in 2027, where a number of moves are expected. Piastri particularly stood out for his bold passes, consistency and ability to perform under pressure throughout much of the championship.

3rd place – Charles Leclerc

Team: Ferrari (2022 – 2025)
Titles: 0
Poles: 18
Wins: 6
Podiums: 37
Score: 1012

Charles Leclerc is undoubtedly a driver who deserves the title of world champion, but Ferrari has yet to achieve this with him in both team and individual races.

Leclerc looked confident in 2022 and at one point had a 46-point lead over Max Verstappen, but some mistakes of his own and a lost race for renewal by the team deprived the Monegasque of a title shot.

Ferrari had a chance at the constructors’ championship in 2024, but McLaren won the last race.

Despite these setbacks, Leclerc remains the team’s key driver, scoring the team’s only pole position of the year and all seven podium finishes. The duo of Ferrari and Leclerc is almost always worth taking into account in the calculations, especially in qualifying, where the Monegasque managed to overtake much faster cars in a single lap.

2nd place – Lando Norris

Team: McLaren (2022 – 2025)
Titles: 1 (2025)
Poles: 15
Wins: 11
Podiums: 39
Score: 1124

Lando Norris has come a long way with McLaren, from the bottom of the peloton to his first victory and championship. The British pilot was the favorite at the start of the championship and started confidently. Although uncertain performances cast doubt on his ability to challenge for the title, an impressive second part of the championship allowed him to not only regain the lead in the standings, but also capture his first career crown in the final Grand Prix of the season.

He is the only champion of the clay impact era after Max Verstappen and the second most wins and podium finishers during this period.

1st place – Max Verstappen

Team: Red Bull (2022 – 2025)
Titles: 3 (2022, 2023, 2024)
Poles: 35
Wins: 51
Podiums: 67
Score: 1887

No one had any doubt that the Red Bull driver would take first place.

In four years he set numerous records, achieving 51 wins, 35 pole positions and 1,887 points. He put in outstanding performances in the second half of 2022 and 2023, took an impressive title in 2024 on weaker machines, and made a remarkable comeback at the end of 2025, where he lost the championship by just 2 points, and won 102 of 104 points against the leader after the Dutch Grand Prix.

This will likely be the most successful period of the Dutchman’s career and will be hard to beat, especially in the unpredictable 2026 regulations. Max Verstappen has certainly established himself among the best in Formula 1 history, and for some he was number 1 for a long time.