All together – Stefano Domenicali picks up the bill
Ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix weekend, all 20 drivers on the grid came together on Thursday night in the Red Bull Ring paddock for a ‘class dinner’ hosted and paid for by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. Photos from the evening began circulating quickly on the official F1 social media accounts and those of the drivers themselves. Also present at the informal event was the leadership of the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers’ Association), currently headed by George Russell and Carlos Sainz, with president Alexander Wurz and fellow director Anastasia Fowle attending.
Fans may remember a similar gathering at the 2024 Qatar GP, where tensions between Max Verstappen and George Russell were widely reported, following an on-track clash. The two drivers were famously seated at opposite ends of the table. This time, there didn’t appear to be any such disputes—though Max Verstappen and George Russell still chose seats far apart from one another.
Table dynamics draw attention
The only driver not visible in the group photo is Lance Stroll, who may have been behind the camera taking the picture. As always, fans on social media quickly pointed out some notable seating arrangements: George Russell was seated between Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, and reunited briefly with his former teammate Lewis Hamilton.
Observers also noticed Max Verstappen seated near both Fernando Alonso and Andrea Kimi Antonelli—highlighting his close relationships with the youngest and oldest drivers on the grid.
Meanwhile, McLaren teammates Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri chose to sit apart. The two are battling each other in the championship and are still fresh off a controversial clash in Montreal, for which Norris took full responsibility. Interestingly, Norris was seated next to his former McLaren teammate Carlos Sainz, reforming the fan-favorite duo ‘CarLando’ that was once wildly popular on social media.
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