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Dec 9, 2025
Yuki Tsunoda earns "like a drunken sailor" comparison after Abu Dhabi defence
Crash
"Instead, he chose to weave down the back straight like a drunken sailor..."
Martin Brundle has likened Yuki Tsunoda's aggressive tactics at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to those of a "drunken sailor".
Tsunoda tried to play a decisive role in the 2025 F1 title battle between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris.
Starting on the hard tyres, Tsunoda went long in the first stint to try and disrupt Norris' race.
Despite claiming over the team radio that he "knew what to do", Norris overtook Tsunoda with relative ease.
Tsunoda opted not to back Norris up in the final sector, which would have cost the McLaren driver several seconds.
Instead, Tsunoda tried to defend on the long DRS straight.
He aggressively weaved and forced Norris off the track.
The stewards handed Tsunoda a five-second penalty for his defending, while Norris escaped punishment for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Brundle, who was on commentary duty for the finale, was far from impressed by Tsunoda's driving.
Writing in his post-race Sky Sports column, Brundle admitted the radio calls at the time were "bordering on menacing".
"In the second Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda had been put on a very long hard-tyred stint in the certain knowledge that at some point Norris would have to pass him for position after his pit stop," Brundle wrote.
"I really don't mind a bit of strategic team play, everybody has two cars to use at their competitive best, but the 'you know what to do' radio calls were bordering on menacing, along with him being told the gap from Norris to Leclerc of 1.4 seconds.
"Yuki should have backed Lando up from the tight turns 12 through to Turn Five on the next lap, that would have been relatively easy and very effective. Instead, he chose to weave down the back straight like a drunken sailor while breaching the regulations, and eventually forcing Norris to pass on a filthy part of the track, which became actually, off the track.
"Tsunoda rightly got a five-second penalty for that clear
