Tsunoda linked to Meyer Shank for 2027

The Tsunoda IndyCar move to Meyer Shank Racing in 2027 is no longer just a rumour circling the paddock. It is a story with concrete names, a specific car number, and a twist at Zandvoort this weekend that makes it even more layered than it first appeared. The Final Lap.

The Tsunoda IndyCar move to Meyer Shank explained

Yuki Tsunoda is reportedly in talks with Meyer Shank Racing for the team’s Honda-powered #66 IndyCar entry, marking a potential career pivot away from Formula 1. The seat is available because it is currently held by Marcus Armstrong, who is set to move across to the #60 car once defending Indianapolis 500 champion Felix Rosenqvist departs at the end of the season.

Reports have placed Tsunoda among the names under consideration, although Meyer Shank is understood to be exploring multiple possibilities rather than closing in on a deal. MSR co-owner Mike Shank is being careful with his words. He told press: “We have not decided anything yet. We are talking to everybody in every form of motorsports that are comparable or pertinent to IndyCar.” That is not a denial. That is a door left wide open.

AJ Foyt Racing rookie Caio Collet was thought to be an early frontrunner for the open seat, but three straight finishes of 19th or worse have simmered the chatter of him upgrading IndyCar teams in 2027. Tsunoda, by contrast, carries a profile that suits a team wanting to raise its international standing.

Why Honda makes the Tsunoda Meyer Shank deal realistic

This is the angle many reports are glossing over. MSR is powered by Honda, which makes the possibility of Tsunoda joining quite realistic given that the Japanese manufacturer has backed him throughout his racing career. Honda has a vested interest in keeping Tsunoda visible in top-level motorsport. Placing him in a Honda-powered IndyCar entry is not a downgrade in their eyes. It is a strategic repositioning of a driver they have invested in heavily since his junior years.

Tsunoda tested a Honda-powered car prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing during a promotional event near Las Vegas in late 2024, completing around 30 minutes of running with guidance from six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. That was not an accident. Honda was already planting seeds.

Tsunoda’s own words, spoken after that Las Vegas run, give a flavour of where his head is. “If I have an opportunity and I feel it’s the right time, for sure I would love to,” he said. “I like the US itself, so I don’t mind living here as well. But I feel like it’s not the time because I can’t imagine driving at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, more than a two-hour race and we do more than 200 mph or whatever every lap.” That hesitation may be fading fast. A transition to American racing would follow a trail successfully blazed by fellow countryman Takuma Sato, who evolved from F1 driver to a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion. For more on how former F1 drivers are making their mark in IndyCar, we have you covered.

A Dutch GP plot twist nobody saw coming

Here is where the story gets a second dimension entirely. Hadjar suffered a wrist injury while training for the upcoming 2026 Dutch Grand Prix, following the month-long summer break. As a result, Liam Lawson will be called up from Racing Bulls to partner Max Verstappen, while Yuki Tsunoda will replace the New Zealander at the sister team. You can read the full details of that situation in our piece on Hadjar missing the Dutch Grand Prix as Lawson steps in at Red Bull.

So the man reportedly plotting his IndyCar escape will be back on the Formula 1 grid this weekend. RNT Motorsports understands from a source within the Red Bull organisation that Tsunoda’s return to Racing Bulls at Zandvoort is genuine, and that the same source framed his availability as a natural consequence of his reserve role, with no suggestion that an F1 comeback changes the direction of the IndyCar talks.

There is a further complication. If Hadjar misses Zandvoort, he would have just two weeks to recover before the next race at Monza. How many races Lawson will have with Red Bull’s senior side is unclear, along with Hadjar’s full injury prognosis. That uncertainty extends directly to Tsunoda. According to insiders who spoke with RNT Motorsports, it is entirely possible that Tsunoda remains in the Racing Bulls car beyond Zandvoort if Hadjar is not fit for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

What this means for Tsunoda’s career arc

Tsunoda has accumulated 111 Grand Prix starts since his top-tier debut in 2021, with a career-best fourth-place finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. That is not a thin CV. But with limited opportunities available on the F1 grid, racing in the United States could provide him with a new direction for his career.

The Tsunoda IndyCar move to Meyer Shank Racing is a story that reflects a broader reality in modern F1: talent does not guarantee a permanent seat. Tsunoda, who is 26, is currently a reserve driver for Red Bull after driving in F1 from 2021 to 2025. He spent five years in the sport without ever landing a drive at a top team, and the grid tightened further around him as younger names emerged from the Red Bull pipeline. This is not a failure. It is a career at a crossroads, and IndyCar is a serious crossroads, not a retirement home. The Red Bull second-half picture at Zandvoort is complex enough without losing their reserve driver to America permanently, which is part of why the timing of this story matters.

No deal is confirmed. The Tsunoda IndyCar move to Meyer Shank for 2027 remains in talks, with Meyer Shank still assessing multiple candidates. But the Honda connection is real, the seat is real, and the timing could not be more pointed. Keep up with all the action this weekend with our 2026 Dutch GP full schedule and session guide at Zandvoort.