Japanese F1 star Yuki Tsunoda was promoted to the Red Bull seat alongside Max Verstappen just a couple of races into the 2025 season. However, amid the performance slump since joining, rumors have started circling the paddock of Tsunoda’s potential exit. HRC President Koji Watanabe cleared the Japanese driver's path for a switch to a rival F1 team.Tsunoda has been backed by the Japanese manufacturer Honda as the driver hails from the land of the rising sun. The 25-year-old replaced Liam Lawson at Red Bull just two races into the 2025 season. However, he has failed to make an impact, scoring only seven points in ten races with the team (four points in main races and three in Sprint).With the Japanese driver not delivering, rumors of an early exit started circling the paddock. Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe detailed during the British GP weekend how Tsunoda's seat at Red Bull was secure despite the ongoing rumors.The HRC President shared that he had a conversation with the Milton Keynes-based team at Silverstone, and confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda will race with Red Bull until the end of the season. However, the Japanese driver's contract ends after the 2025 season, raising questions over his 2026 F1 future.With Honda moving to Aston Martin starting with the 2026 regulation changes, many have reported that Yuki Tsunoda could be signing with the British team. However, Lawrence Stroll and Co. have suggested that they would enter the 2026 season with their current driver lineup of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll.Haas has also been a point of interest for Tsunoda, but concerns were raised on whether Honda will let the Japanese driver sign with Haas, who recently signed a technical partnership with Toyota. When Koji Watanabe was questioned, he detailed that it's just a partnership and not Team Toyota. Watanabe said, via Autosport:“No problem. They are not Team Toyota.”Honda and Toyota are the two biggest manufacturers from Japan and have been rivals in that sense, much like Ford and General Motors’ rivalry in the US.HRC President details Yuki Tsunoda’s positive take despite Red Bull's performance strugglesAUTO: JUL 06 F1 British Grand Prix - Source: GettyWhile Max Verstappen has been able to push the RB21 to wins, it's been clear that the Dutchman has struggled with the car. On the other hand, Yuki Tsunoda has only scored points in three races since making the Red Bull move. Koji Watanabe suggested that the struggles were worse than he expected, as he said.“To be honest, as long as I’m just looking at the results from the outside, I feel like we are struggling more than we expected. However, when I keep in touch with Yuki and listen to his various stories, he seems to take it more positively than I expected.”Red Bull fired its long-standing team principal, Christian Horner, soon after the British GP, with Laurent Mekies taking over the position at the Milton Keynes-based team.