Formula 1 drivers put the intensity of the competition aside on Thursday evening as a 20-strong field assembled to bid farewell to four-time champion Sebastian Vettel.
The images, which quickly appeared on their social media accounts, marked the first time F1 drivers have come together in this way since the 2016 Chinese Grand Prix. It is inspired by Vettel’s former championship rival, Lewis Hamilton.
“I thought it was very important, so I asked if they would be open to everyone in Mexico doing a farewell dinner for Seb,” he explained to the media, including RaceFans. “We didn’t eat dinner. [together] It was in China years ago.”
Vettel took the floor at one point to make a speech. “It was a great night,” Hamilton said. “We were all laughing so hard, great stories, and Seb is a great leader. He gave a good speech trying to pass on some of his experiences over the years, especially to the younger ones for their future.
In the year While pictures of dinner tables at the 2022 F1 race will inevitably be scrutinized by fans for any signs of loyalty or animosity, Alexander Albon has revealed that no-one is thinking of not sitting next to a particular rival. He said, “Anyone who comes in just sits down, no musical chairs.”
He arrived at the same time as Williams team-mate Nicolas Laffey as Vettel, who will likely start his final grand prix this weekend. “Nicky and I got there first,” he said. “We were five minutes late and we were the first in by 20 minutes, so we had to sit next to each other.”
“Everybody seems like good friends,” Albon said. “There is no big rivalry except for couples.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
But in general, we all get along well. I think we see each other now more than ever, with the amount of running we do, all the traveling we do, either sharing planes or whatever.
“So we spend a lot of time with each other. I’m sure we see each other more than our families.” [media] Men look at each other more than you. So there is a good spirit with the whole grid.
Two years of Covid restrictions made such a social event impossible until recently. Many drivers on the grid have never met all of their competitors at once for social events before and rarely had the opportunity to speak to drivers they meet.
“It was my first time doing something like this, I thought it was cool,” said Lando Norris. “You kind of grow up in the world of motorsport, you’re not forced to dislike each other, but you don’t grow to love each other. He always sees them as enemies more than anything else.
“So for the first time, it’s a very different feeling to sit there and talk to everybody away from the race. So that’s good. I talked to some people I had never met before.”
Grid meets Abu Dhabi Hakkasan restaurant. They weren’t – as has been widely reported elsewhere – the party that racked up a 615,000 dirham (£140,000) bill that night at the Abu Dhabi branch of Nusser-Et, the steakhouse chain owned by the incredibly expensive Instagram influencer Salt Bay.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
“A couple left early,” said Daniel Ricciardo, another driver heading into the final race in the future, while others stayed late and returned early the next morning. “For Seb, we had a good excuse to do it as a farewell, but when we all walk away from this local competition and get into the room, you forget about it. It’s great.
“We all obviously have a lot in common, maybe more than we think. So it was nice to enjoy each other’s company and not talk about racing and racing. I felt like we were all learning a little bit more about each other away from the track, so that was nice.”
Fernando Alonso, the grid’s most experienced driver, has attended numerous meetings during his 21-year career. Having once battled with the likes of Michael Schumacher, Mika Hockin and David Coulthard, he now competes against a new generation of rivals.
“When I started there was Jos Verstappen and now Max has arrived,” said the Alpine driver.
“It’s just different. It was more of an honor. [for the older generation] Before, it was the younger generation or social media or any less. Before he became the strongest character in Formula 1, there was DC, there was Mika, there was Michael. He’s pretty much confirmed who he is.
“Now it’s a bit friendlier in a different way. I won’t say fake, but all young, all friendly. Before it was different.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
But now I like it more, I think it’s more interesting. Everyone is taking pictures, that’s the only thing you have to be careful of because you can’t have a bad time because it’s going to be all over the world and someone will be filming. Other than that, I think it’s good fun.
Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell said the night was “more fun than we expected”. We said we needed more time.
“It’s only 20. [F1] “There’s only one person who can understand what all of us drivers in the world are going through,” he explained. “And we all share that in a very unique way and in a way that brings everyone a little closer. But a helmet’s a helmet when it’s on.”
The event’s success could make it a regular event, Hamilton said. “After that we were like, ‘Let’s do it all the time.’ Maybe we’ll do this annual thing here, maybe we’ll have another one a year.
He sees the importance of strengthening ties between the races through the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, which represents their interests in the championship.
“As a GPDA, there’s a lot we can do as a unified team,” Hamilton said. “I think we have a responsibility, each of us has got a big platform together and it’s encouraging.
“Formula 1 collectively has a lot to really push forward performance-wise. It says we’re doing a lot of things, sustainability and all that stuff, but really we’re pushing and making sure we’re doing our best and maybe GPDA has a role in that.
Advertisement | Become a RaceFans fan and
2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Browse all 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix articles
