Tsunoda in talks to swap F1 for IndyCar with Meyer Shank Racing in 2027

Yuki Tsunoda is in talks with Meyer Shank Racing over a potential 2027 IndyCar Series drive, Motorsport.com understands, as the 26-year-old weighs a transatlantic move after losing his Formula 1 race seat at the end of last season. The Japanese driver is understood to be targeting the team’s #66 Honda entry, currently occupied by Marcus Armstrong.

Armstrong is set to shift to the #60 sister car once defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist departs Meyer Shank at the end of the current season, freeing the seat Tsunoda is reportedly pursuing.

Tsunoda made 111 Formula 1 starts between his 2021 debut and the end of last season, with a career-best fourth-place finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix among his highlights. He has spent the current campaign as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing, a role that has kept him connected to the paddock but away from race weekends.

A move to IndyCar would echo the career arc of compatriot Takuma Sato, who transitioned from F1 to become a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion. Tsunoda is not entirely unfamiliar with Indy car machinery: in late 2024, ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, he completed two runs totalling roughly 30 minutes in a Honda-powered Chip Ganassi Racing entry at a circuit near Las Vegas Motor Speedway, with six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon on hand to coach him through the experience.

At the time, Tsunoda was candid about the appeal of American racing — and its challenges. “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 every lap. For me, it’s scary.” He added: “For now, I am not really aiming or thinking about IndyCar, but yeah, why not in the future?”

That future now appears to be approaching. Meyer Shank co-owner Mike Shank confirmed discussions are ongoing without committing to a decision. “We have not decided anything yet,” Shank told Motorsport.com. “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.”

Should a deal be finalised, Tsunoda would join a Meyer Shank outfit that has won the Indianapolis 500 as recently as 2022, when Simon Pagenaud took victory for the team.