$90m worth Hollywood star Jason Statham meets Red Bull's Yuki Tsunoda before the F1 Abu Dhabi GP
Yuki Tsunoda has mentioned Jason Statham as his idol on multiple occasions. The $90 Million worth (as per Celebrity Net Worth) actor met with the VCARB driver Yuki Tsunoda at the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP. Visa Cash App RB’s account in collaboration with F1’s official Instagram account shared a picture of the Hollywood star with the Japanese driver taken at this year's Abu Dhabi GP.
The caption read:
“Name a more iconic duo @jasonstatham”
The picture was a selfie taken by Jason Statham in a white T-shirt layered with a black jacket. The outfit was accessorized with black sunglasses and a black cap. Tsunoda, on the other hand, was in the VCARB team jersey with his fist up.
Tsunoda has been a Jason Statham fanboy for the longest time. The VCARB driver was once asked who his celebrity crush is and the answer was, of course, Statham. On another occasion, Tsunoda was asked who he'd like to invite to dinner with his answer being Statham along with his mother and father.
In Racetrend’s YouTube video, Tsunoda was asked how much he'd want to be in a Jason Statham movie with the Japanese driver replying that he'd do it for free. However, the 2024 Abu Dhabi GP wasn't the first time that the Japanese driver met with his idol.
Yuki Tsunoda was surprised by his team as he met with the Hollywood actor at the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP. After seeing Statham, Tsunoda exclaimed, “Holy s***! No way! Didn't expect that”. The Japanese driver's personal trainer Michael Italiano then went on to reveal Tsunoda's embarrassing secret.
Italiano revealed that Tsunoda had changed the name on his iPhone to Jason Statham’s son. Hence, wherever the VCARB driver connects the phone in his car, it would say, “Connected to Jason Statham's son”.
“Of course he's ready to get a faster car”: VCARB Team Principal on Yuki Tsunoda amid the speculations of Liam Lawson moving to Red Bull
Sergio Perez is reportedly going to be moved to an ambassadorial role within the team with Liam Lawson taking his place at Red Bull. Isack Hadjar is rumored as the second VCARB driver. However, the question that arises is why not promote Yuki Tsunoda to the senior team, as he's been with VCARB for many years now. The VCARB Team Principal gave his take on the same.
Laurent Mekies said (via The Race):
“It’s a fair question. If a driver performs at the level of speed that he's performing right now, it would be a lie to tell you that he's not ready for something even faster. It would be a lie. He has put that car in P3 in Brazil, in P7 in Vegas on the grid. Who am I to tell you that he's not ready to get a faster car?
“Of course he's ready to get a faster car. In terms of what he has been doing [out of the] car, yes, he has made a huge improvement as well, both in terms of feedback and in terms of controlling his emotions.”
It was reportedly Honda’s condition to have a Japanese driver at either of the Red Bull teams. Yuki Tsunoda, who is backed by Honda, was rumored to make a move to Aston Martin, with the Silverstone team partnering with the Japanese manufacturer for the future. However, it looks unlikely with Fernando Alonso signing a long-term contract, and Lance Stroll having a supposed permanent seat on the team.