Max Verstappen missed his chance to pay for the traditional F1 drivers’ dinner in Abu Dhabi when Pierre Gasly quietly picked up the tab instead.
“I was sitting on the opposite side of the entrance of the private room, so for like most of the night you’re having a laugh and then suddenly, people are wanting to go. Then we realized that Pierre already paid the dinner,” Verstappen explained.
The four-time world champion shared the funny story on the latest episode of the Talking Bull podcast.
It turns out the drivers had been joking that it was Verstappen’s turn to pay this year, and he was happy to do it. But he never got the chance.
“I was drinking my gin and tonic at the other time,” he laughed. “I guess next time before I enter I have to tell them that at the end of the night the bill is for me so that I can actually finally pay it.”
Verstappen insists he’s not trying to dodge the check.
“I’m normally very generous with these kind of things. I just didn’t get to pay yet, but I’m sure that we have another dinner next year.”
The Dutch driver also revealed that in previous years, the drivers sometimes put all their bank cards on the table and let fate decide who pays.
But he’s not a fan of that approach.
“I mean that is a bit of a poor look. So it’s better to just have one guy committing to it. Of course you don’t let a rookie pay. That’s quite obvious. I think it always starts with the more experienced drivers.”
## Verstappen keeps busy with GT3 testing
The F1 champion isn’t just relaxing during the off-season.
Verstappen was recently spotted testing Mercedes GT3 cars at Portugal’s Estoril circuit, preparing for the next season with his GT3 team.
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