Yuki Tsunoda escapes unharmed after Red Bull F1 car catches fire in showrun

Former Red Bull Formula 1 driver Yuki Tsunoda escaped uninjured after his car burst into flames during a showrun event in San Francisco on Saturday.

The world champion F1 team and its new engine partner Ford staged an event on San Francisco’s waterfront on Saturday, displaying various machinery related to both parties.

Yuki Tsunoda, as part of his duties as Red Bull’s test and reserve driver in 2026, got behind the wheel of a 2011-spec showcar during the event.

However, his run ended in disaster, as fan footage from the event captures his car bursting into flames.

Tsunoda appeared unharmed.

The Japanese driver is spending the year on the sidelines, after losing his race seat with Red Bull at the end of last season.

Tsunoda made his F1 debut in 2021 with the AlphaTauri squad (now Racing Bulls) and remained with Red Bull’s junior team through to the start of the 2025 campaign.

After Liam Lawson was dumped by Red Bull after just two races of the 2025 season, Tsunoda was promoted to take his place.

But the Japanese struggled to get on terms with team-mate Max Verstappen, enduring a pointless run of seven successive races between Monaco and Hungary.

In total, Tsunoda scored just 33 points across the year on his way to a lowly 17th in the drivers’ standings.

Red Bull elected to replace him with Isack Hadjar for 2026, after the Frenchman impressed during his rookie season with Racing Bulls last year.

Tsunoda remains with the Red Bull brand as a test and reserve driver, and could see race action in 2026 should any of its four drivers need to be replaced.

The 2026 season marks a significant milestone for Red Bull, as it enters its first-ever in-house-built power unit.

Developed in conjunction with American motor giant Ford, the new Red Bull power unit has made an impressive start to life during pre-season testing.

While the overall competitive order remains something of a mystery after the Barcelona shakedown and two Bahrain tests, Red Bull’s power unit reliability and performance has garnered praise from many of its rivals.

The 2026 F1 season begins on 6-8 March with the Australian Grand Prix.