Verstappen reveals which driver 'prevented him' from paying for '25 dinner

The traditional dinner of the Formula 1 drivers once again took place this year in Abu Dhabi.

In the latest episode of the Talking Bull podcast, four-time world champion Verstappen explained that it was his turn to pay the bill, but in the end, he did not have the chance to do so.

He began: "The drivers are joking a little bit like 'this year it's Max's turn.' I was like, 'yeah, sure.' But 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."

The Dutchman therefore added that next year, he needs to make his intention clear before the dinner begins. "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."

He added: "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."

In the past, Verstappen said that it happened once that the drivers all put their bank cards on the table, letting fate decide who will end up paying.

However, he does not like that approach. He concluded: "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 it busy during the Formula 1 off-season, as the Dutchman is also preparing for the next season of his GT3 team.

The four-time F1 champion was recently testing in Portugal at the Estoril circuit using Mercedes GT3 cars.

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