Watch: Jason Statham surprises Yuki Tsunoda before the F1 Abu Dhabi GP

AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda met his idol Jason Statham before the 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP. Tsunoda is a massive fan of Statham and was starstruck when he first saw and met the Hollywood star.

When Tsunoda was climbing up the stairs and entering a hospitality area, he was suddenly surprised by Statham. The Japanese driver was unable to contain his astonishment and said:

"Holy s***! No way! Didn't expect that."

They shook hands and talked for a while, during which Tsunoda was clearly star-struck by Statham. During their first meeting, the driver's personal trainer revealed how Tsunoda's phone's name is 'Jason Statham's son', and how his car says 'connected to Jason Statham's son' whenever his phone connects.

Tsunoda and Statham also clicked some pictures with each other, and the latter was even gifted the Japanese driver's AlphaTauri top that he wears underneath the race suit. The Hollywood star was present throughout the 2023 F1 Abu Dhabi GP and even witnessed Tsunoda lead a few laps of the race for the first time in his F1 career.

The AlphaTauri driver started in sixth and ended the race in eighth, scoring four points.

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Yuki Tsunoda feels there is not much driving difference between him and Max Verstappen

Yuki Tsunoda reckons he has similar driving and performance as Red Bull star Max Verstappen. He claimed that it is hard to gauge the driving difference since both are driving in such different leagues.

However, Tsunoda claims that if he gets to drive the same car as Verstappen, he will also be able to perform decently. But he also praised Verstappen for being much more consistent and more in control of the car.

"I would like to drive in the same car," Tsunoda was quoted as saying by Total Motorsport. "Because I don’t know, obviously it’s hard, he’s good. But same time, we never drive together and obviously the car is different. So it’s hard to say about the driving difference."

"As driving and as a performance in dry conditions or in qualifying, I wouldn’t say for now that we have big difference. Of course, the consistency is definitely better. And he’s always on the limit, I think he’s always able to drive really fast and control the car. I think those things are definitely the difference to me and where I have to work on to reach the Red Bull," he added.

Yuki Tsunoda is currently 14th in the drivers' championship table with only 17 points, while Max Verstappen is leading the pack with 575 points.