Yuki Tsunoda managed to take the Red Bull RB21 into Q3 at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, achieving the team’s objective of providing a tow for teammate Max Verstappen in the final qualifying segment, although in the end it was not crucial. However, there was another challenge: due to a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in FP3, Tsunoda had to switch to an older floor specification, as the spare parts of the latest floor were prioritized for Verstappen.
It is often said that fortune is blind, while misfortune sees everything clearly. This adage perfectly fits Yuki Tsunoda’s weekend in Abu Dhabi: despite reaching Q3, he had to settle for a tenth-place lap time that left a bitter taste, reflecting a challenging race ahead in Formula 1. Yet, the reasons behind this outcome are very precise.
With the Drivers’ Championship still undecided, Red Bull focused all resources on Max Verstappen, intervening strategically starting from qualifying. The aim was clear: get Tsunoda into Q3 so he could provide a tow to Verstappen, maximizing the Dutchman’s chances of securing a crucial pole position in the title fight.
Securing a Q3 spot was far from easy for Tsunoda. He finished Q1 in 15th place, just eight thousandths of a second ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who was the first driver eliminated. In Q2, Tsunoda managed to climb to 10th, narrowly claiming the last slot available for the final session by mere milliseconds.
A curious incident further complicated his qualifying. During FP3, as Tsunoda exited the pits, he was hit by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, damaging the new floor—the latest specification introduced in Mexico. Verstappen had already decided to abandon this floor after that race, as it did not provide optimal performance, preferring to revert to the previous version.
However, Red Bull chose to reintroduce the latest floor for Verstappen’s car at Abu Dhabi, leaving insufficient components for both drivers. Priority was given to Verstappen, still in contention for the championship, while Tsunoda had to revert to a floor he had never tested that weekend, nor used in prior races. Although a small detail, in such a tightly contested field, adapting to an untested floor—significantly affecting car behavior and foregoing the specification he was most comfortable with—was a non-negligible factor.
“After that collision with Antonelli, I had to go back to the old floor, which honestly compromised my qualifying performance. So I expected it to be difficult to reach Q3. Of course, making it into Q3 and helping Max was the plan. But at the same time, I was a bit concerned with that specification. In the end, I managed it,” Tsunoda said after qualifying.
The team’s plan was clear: support Max Verstappen by giving him a tow to secure the best possible chance at pole position. In the end, however, the tow was not decisive, as the four-time world champion improved his time on his second attempt, without benefiting from Tsunoda’s slipstream.
“I couldn’t be too close at turn 5, nor too far. It was very stressful, honestly. But at least I managed it, and they complimented me. I gladly accept that,” Tsunoda added. In reality, he had set a lap that would have placed him sixth, ahead of the midfield teams, but it was deleted due to track limits.
“Yuki was incredible; the tow worked perfectly. So things already seem to be going better,” Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said to ServusTV.
Having lost his full-time Red Bull seat for 2026, when he will move to a test and reserve role, Tsunoda has nothing to lose and will play a tactical role during the race, especially in pit stop sequences. “I will do everything possible to help him. It will probably compromise my strategy, but with his position, as it turned out, there’s still a chance to win the championship. So I will do everything I can,” Yuki added, with a clear plan for tomorrow’s race.
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