Helped by floor updates to the AT04, Tsunoda qualified sixth at the Yas Marina track, and he held onto the position in the early laps, rising up the order as the frontrunners pitted.
When Charles Leclerc came in, Tsunoda took over the lead for five laps, before making his late first and only stop.
He was only the second Japanese driver to lead a grand prix after Takuma Sato enjoyed a brief spell in front at the Nurburgring in 2004.
The subplot was that sixth would have been enough to relieve Williams of P7 in the constructors' world championship on team principal Franz Tost's last day in charge.
However, Tsunoda slipped behind Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso and ultimately claimed eighth, which was not quite enough.
Tsunoda added that such a scenario couldn't even have been thought about earlier in the season when the team was struggling for form.
"I gave it everything," he said when asked by Motorsport.com about just missing out. "To be honest, I didn't know I was leading the pack.
"So I'm quite surprised about it. And looking back, during the first half of the season, we never thought about it, that we'd be leading the pack.
"So a massive privilege, and without the team effort, we couldn't achieve this much. The amount they pushed this year, almost every race we had upgrades, it was crazy. They deserve it.
"And also I wasn't able to give probably the biggest gift to Franz, but at least hopefully, I gave it all. And I showed at least my performance as a kind of appreciation for him."
With tyre degradation higher than expected across the early phases of the weekend, most drivers ran a two-stop plan, with Tsunoda's AlphaTauri being the notable exception.
"It was the plan, but we knew that it was going to be difficult," he admitted. "We were kind of listening to what the tyres were saying.
"And they held on quite well in the first stint, so that helps. And I think that was a that was a key moment.
"In the end what we did on the strategy itself was okay. Even if I did exactly the same strategy as the top teams I don't know if we are able to finish P6 anyway. So I think we don't have regrets."
Tsunoda stressed that the team's late-season form bodes well for 2024 when the team will be rebranded and have a new boss in Laurent Mekies.
"I think what we did in Abu Dhabi with upgrades is kind of the philosophy for also next year as well," he said. "And if these upgrades work, it's a good sign for next year as well. So at least we've got some positives, and also good data as well.
"So we keep on continuing what we've done. Obviously not enough yet. But I know lots of things have to change next year. And hopefully, that will give us a step forward."
