Formula 1 veteran Yuki Tsunoda could be preparing for a major career pivot and cross the Atlantic for a 2027 IndyCar Series campaign. 

Motorsport.com understands Tsunoda is vying for the #66 Meyer Shank Racing (MSR) Honda entry, marking a potential second act in North American open-wheel racing. Marcus Armstrong currently occupies the seat, but is moving to the #60 sister car when defending Indianapolis 500 winner Felix Rosenqvist departs at season’s end.

After accumulating 111 Grand Prix starts since his top-tier debut in 2021 – highlighted by a career-best fourth-place finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Tsunoda spent this season serving as a test and reserve driver for Red Bull Racing. With Formula 1 race seats remaining tightly contested, a transition to American racing would follow a trail successfully blazed by fellow countryman Takuma Sato, who evolved from F1 driver to a two-time Indianapolis 500 champion.

The 26-year-old Japanese native is somewhat familiar with Indy car machinery, having driven one during a Honda promotional event in late 2024 ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Stepping into a Honda-powered #93 entry prepared by Chip Ganassi Racing, Tsunoda received hands-on coaching from six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. He logged two runs totaling roughly 30 minutes at an estimated 1.3-mile circuit outside of Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images

At the time, Tsunoda acknowledged the allure of living and racing in the United States during a subsequent media roundtable, he did not downplay the intimidating nature of American oval racing and the legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"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. I can’t imagine myself driving more than two hours and being in that car. I don’t know. For now, I am not really aiming or thinking about IndyCar, but yeah, why not in the future?"

That hypothetical future may now be taking concrete shape as negotiations progress toward a potential 2027 debut.

When reached for comment, MSR co-owner Mike Shank told 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.”

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