Yuki Tsunoda prepared for Max Verstappen title sacrifice after critical 'pressure' point

Yuki Tsunoda says he is prepared to "compromise" his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix if it means he can aid Max Verstappen's title charge.

Verstappen starts on pole at Yas Marina ahead of title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, but given Norris's 12 point lead, if Verstappen wins the race, Norris must finish in fourth or lower for a fifth straight Verstappen crown. 

Tsunoda, who towed Verstappen on his first Q3 lap which ultimately was good enough for pole before the Dutchman went faster on his second, starts from 10th, with memories of Sergio Perez's actions in backing up Lewis Hamilton in the 2021 finale fresh in the mind.

In that race, Perez ran long to back Hamilton up into Verstappen, with a huge deficit between the title rivals wiped out before Perez jumped out of the way for Verstappen, who ultimately won the title. 

It is something Tsunoda hinted he would be prepared to do.

"I will do as much as I can to help him," Tsunoda told media, including RacingNews365.

"Most likely, I will compromise my strategy, as with this position, and how he ended up, there is still a chance to get the championship, so I'll do as much as I can."

Recalling how the tow during Q3 had worked, Tsunoda explained how the genesis of the idea came after his FP3 pit-lane crash when Kimi Antonelli crashed into and wrecked the floor of the RB21.

"After the Antonelli collision, I had to revert back to the old floor, which, to be honest, cost me quite a lot of performance in qualifying, so I expected it would be a difficult qualifying," he said.

"Obviously, getting through to Q3 and helping Max was the baseline plan, but I was worried about it, given the spec, I helped Max, which gave him a bit more confidence. 

"I had pressure moments and stress when I gave the tow because I couldn't be very close to Turn 5 or couldn't be too far away, so it was very stressful to be honest, but at least I nailed it. 

"They gave me some compliments, so yeah, I'll take it."