Who did foot the end-of-season dinner tab as Hamilton ‘ordered everything’?

Michelle Foster
F1 2025 end-of-year dinner

F1 2025 end-of-year dinner, photograph courtesy of Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton, according to George Russell, “literally ordered everything” off the menu at Zuma as the Formula 1 drivers celebrated the end of the F1 2025 season.

But, contrary to initial speculation, he was not the one who picked up the tab.

Lewis Hamilton ‘ordered everything’, but it was another driver who paid

As has become tradition, the Formula 1 drivers had an end-of-season dinner ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi where 17 of the 20 drivers headed to Zuma in Abu Dhabi. Fernando Alonso, Lance Stroll and Nico Hulkenberg were the only three who didn’t attend.

And it sounds like they missed out on a really good meal.

According to Zuma’s website, dinners can ‘enjoy a modern interpretation of authentic Japanese dining with stunning views across the water’ with the restaurant ‘located at the Galleria on Al Maryah Island’.

The 17 drivers in attendance at the dinner, organised by seven-time World Championship Hamilton, did not go hungry.

“It was very tasty,” said Russell.

“Which literally had, Lewis was in charge of the order and he literally ordered everything. Everything possible on the menu. Had it all.”

Esteban Ocon thanked the Ferrari driver, writing on Instagram: “Tradition. Thanks again @lewishamilton!”

But it wasn’t the seven-time World Champion who picked up the tab, nor in keeping with “the hidden agreement that usually that the world champion pays”, as revealed by Nico Rosberg in 2016, was it Max Verstappen.

Instead, it was Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.

Despite earning ‘only’, if you will, a reported $12 million annual salary compared to Verstappen’s $75m and Hamilton’s $57m, the Frenchman picked up the bill.

And he did so with a smile.

Gasly was asked by Alpine how his dinner was on Thursday night, Gasly replied: Gasly: “Expensive.”

Q: Did you pay?

Gasly: “Yes.”

Upside, he made his teammate Franco Colapinto happy.

The Argentinean driver said: “It was good, very tasty food. With food it makes me happy.”

Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls confirmed that Gasly did pick up the tab.

“Pierre did actually, very, very nice of him. He took the bill,” he told F1TV.

“I’d like to be in a position in a couple of years to be able to do that as well.”

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