Jannik Sinner was among the special guests attending the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the race that brings the Formula 1 season to a close. The world number two arrived at the circuit in the morning, accompanied by his girlfriend Laila Hasanovic, Alex Vittur and Simone Vagnozzi. It was a relaxed day for Jannik Sinner, who is currently in the United Arab Emirates, in Dubai, where he is carrying out his winter preparation ahead of the next tennis season after ending 2025 with the title won at the Nitto ATP Finals, beating Carlos Alcaraz in the final.
Jannik Sinner had already crossed paths with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli during the final days of the tournament in Turin, promising him a karting lap together. It wasn’t a kart, but a sports car instead, through which the Italian star kept his word after meeting the young Mercedes driver again in Abu Dhabi. Shortly afterward, Jannik Sinner also made a stop at the Ferrari garage, where he enjoyed a friendly chat with Charles Leclerc just a few hours before the start of the Grand Prix.
The highlight for many fans, though, was indeed watching Jannik Sinner deep in conversation with Charles Leclerc inside the Ferrari garage just hours before lights out. The two sporting icons – one who has dominated tennis all year, the other chasing an elusive title in F1 – shared a relaxed chat that had Ferrari staff and media reaching for their phones.
It was another reminder of how small the world of elite Italian sport has become: Jannik Sinner wrapping up a historic season on the court while Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli carry the nation’s hopes on four wheels. For one afternoon in Abu Dhabi, two different worlds collided – and Italian fans couldn’t have loved it more.
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