(Motorsport-Total.com) – Moment of shock during a demonstration run in San Francisco: Yuki Tsunoda returned to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car for a show run over the weekend. But the outing ended spectacularly when the vehicle suddenly went up in flames.
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The Japanese driver was part of a motorsport show event on Marina Boulevard. Alongside him, former Formula 1 and rallycross driver Scott Speed, Ford off-road specialist Mitch Guthrie, and freestyle motocrosser Aaron Colton also appeared.
Tsunoda was driving the 2011 world championship-winning car, the Red Bull RB7. He thrilled the spectators with several donuts until the rear of the car suddenly caught fire. Eyewitnesses reported that fans shouted loudly for the 25-year-old to leave the car immediately. Tsunoda reacted promptly and got to safety while marshals extinguished the fire.
The incident was commented on with humor on social media. “If you don’t like being demoted to reserve driver, you just set the car on fire,” one fan wrote on X.
Another added: “Yuki Tsunoda’s Red Bull turned San Francisco into a real fire show. Smoke, flames, and a crowd that came for a demo but got a pyrotechnic surprise instead. Who said Formula 1 isn’t extreme enough?”
Demotion for the 2026 season
In terms of sport, a change is imminent for Tsunoda anyway. The current regular driver for Red Bull Racing will be used as a test and reserve driver in 2026 after losing his cockpit to Isack Hadjar at the end of the 2025 season.
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Already last year in Abu Dhabi, Tsunoda had spoken openly about his emotional state. “Of course I’m disappointed and pissed off,” he explained to media representatives at the time.
“The way I was told, right after the race [in Qatar], by Helmut, in private, was that I wouldn’t be driving next year. Surprisingly, I’m doing okay. Not okay in the sense of happy, but I’m managing. The morning after, I had breakfast as usual, ordered the same food.”
“I probably don’t realize enough yet that it will be my last race this year – for next year. Maybe I’ll feel more after Abu Dhabi. But that’s how it went and that’s how I feel now.”
2026 season opener in Melbourne
The new Formula 1 season begins from March 6 to 8, 2026, with the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park in Melbourne. For Tsunoda, it will be the first time since his promotion to the premier class that he will not start as a regular driver, even if he was able to experience real Formula 1 feeling at least one more time in San Francisco.
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