Watch: Yuki Tsunoda gives Max Verstappen a distant tow on his final push lap in the F1 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying

Yuki Tsunoda played the ultimate team game at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he gave Max Verstappen a distant tow ahead of the start of his final push lap. The 24-year-old, who had completed his qualifying run before Verstappen, opted to ‘punch a hole in the air’ for his teammate.

With the clock ticking down and Oscar Piastri on provisional pole position, Tsunoda chose to play the pivotal teammate role, offering a perfect slipstream which Verstappen was able to capitalize on to boost his speed heading into the high-speed section of the Jeddah circuit. As seen in a video shared on X (formerly Twitter) by account @Hawk9248, Yuki Tsunoda drove past Verstappen just as he made the final turn ahead of the main straight to start his push lap.

This selfless act by the Japanese driver proved highly crucial for Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team, as it ensured the Dutch driver sealed pole position under the Jeddah skies by just one one-hundredth of a second (0.01) ahead of the McLaren driver.

Tsunoda, on his part, could only muster an eighth-place finish, which remains the best qualifying position achieved by the second Red Bull car since the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix with Sergio Perez. Having helped his teammate achieve pole position, the former Racing Bulls driver will hope to continue his impressive form with his new team at the Grand Prix, come race day.

Max Verstappen reacts after Saudi Grand Prix pole position

Max Verstappen is presented the Pirelli pole position award during the F1 Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia - Qualifying - Source: Getty

Max Verstappen shared his reaction after securing pole position at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The four-time Formula 1 champion clinched his second pole of the 2025 season with a brilliant one-lap drive at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

Verstappen, who was least favored to claim pole, executed a perfectly controlled drive with his available tires to clinch pole position following the crash suffered by Lando Norris. In the aftermath of securing pole, which was the 42nd of his career, the Dutch driver took to social media to detail his feelings.

Sharing a carousel of photos from the qualifying session on his X account, Max Verstappen paired it with the caption:

“Let’s go!! Simply lovely that, well done everyone @redbullracing ☝️ Bring on the race 👊.”

Looking ahead to the race, Max Verstappen remains the most successful driver in the history of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Since the debut of the Jeddah track, the Red Bull driver has recorded two race victories (2022, 2024), alongside two second-place finishes (2021, 2023) at the event. Verstappen will be aiming for a victory at this year’s edition of the race as he looks to close the gap to the top of the drivers’ championship in his pursuit of a fifth consecutive crown.