The entire F1 grid came together for a dinner organised by Lewis Hamilton to bid farewell to the 4-time world champion Sebastian Vettel ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP.
The drivers on the grid haven’t had dinner together since 2016 at the Chinese Grand Prix. So this rare show of camaraderie to honour Vettel did come as a shock and emotional moment to everyone.
The 7-time world champion has now explained how he organised the dinner party for his former rival and friend on the grid.
The Briton felt that it was very important for the drivers to come together. “That’s why I asked the group in Mexico whether they would be open to all doing a dinner to give Seb a farewell,” he said.
An unforgettable night for Lewis Hamilton
Off the track, it is very rare to see all the 20 drivers going out together or having a casual dinner party. The last time such a dinner took place was in 2016 and the bill was split 18 ways among drivers.
This time, however, it has been reported that the entire tab was picked up by the 7-time world champion himself.
An unforgettable night pic.twitter.com/5NMeYWfm4j
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) November 17, 2022
This time around it seems like the atmosphere around the dinner table was quite light and cheerful. Hamilton said that it was the best evening. “Everyone was laughing, great stories, Seb is a great leader,” he added.
Vettel made a speech during the dinner and handed down some of the experience to the young generation on the paddock.
Let’s do it all the time
The 37-year-old revealed that this was the most harmony any driver group has ever had, at least in the past 15 years.
All the drivers enjoyed the camaraderie so much that by the end of it everyone was like ‘let’s do it all the time.’
Speaking about the dinner party, Hamilton posted the group photo on Instagram and captioned it, “We’ve come a long way as drivers and continue to grow as men. Despite whatever may happen on the track we grow and become better each day.”
“Us all coming together to celebrate life and Seb’s amazing career in F1 is truly a night I’ll never forget.”
The Mercedes star also said that a lot can be done with unity and togetherness and harmony of such kind. He reiterated that as GDPA, as a group, the drivers have a responsibility and together they can push for change within the sport.
