Loading
Yuki Tsunoda could be preparing for a significant career pivot, with the Formula 1 veteran reportedly in contention for a 2027 IndyCar Series drive with Meyer Shank Racing (MSR).
Motorsport.com understands that Tsunoda is vying for MSR’s #66 Honda entry. Marcus Armstrong currently occupies the seat, but is expected to move to the team’s #60 sister car when defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist departs at the end of the season.
The possible move would give Tsunoda a second act in North American open-wheel racing after 111 Grand Prix starts since his Formula 1 debut in 2021. His best result came with fourth place at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This season, he has served as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing, while the continuing competition for Formula 1 race seats has left his next step uncertain.
A move to IndyCar would also place Tsunoda on a path previously followed by fellow Japanese driver Takuma Sato, who went from Formula 1 to becoming a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion. The Honda connection would be another notable element of the potential switch; Honda is also targeting a major 2027 step in Formula 1, while MSR’s proposed entry would be Honda-powered.
Tsunoda is not entirely unfamiliar with IndyCar machinery. In late 2024, ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he drove a Honda-powered #93 entry prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing during a Honda promotional event. Six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon coached him during the outing, which comprised two runs totalling approximately 30 minutes at an estimated 1.3-mile circuit outside Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
At the time, Tsunoda admitted that racing in the United States appealed to him, including the possibility of living there. However, he was equally candid about the challenge posed by oval racing and the Indianapolis 500.
“If I have an opportunity and I feel it’s the right time, for sure I would love to,” Tsunoda 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. For me, it’s scary.”
He added that IndyCar was not then an immediate target, while leaving the door open to a future opportunity. That hypothetical future may now be moving closer, with negotiations reportedly progressing toward a potential 2027 debut.
MSR co-owner Mike Shank stopped short of confirming a deal, telling Motorsport.com: “We have not decided anything yet. We are talking to everybody in every form of motorsports that are comparable or pertinent to IndyCar. We’re still vetting folks that are coming along, and looking at all kinds of options.”
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.