Curated By: Siddarth Sriram
Last Updated: November 26, 2023, 20:06 IST
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
The Abu Dhabi GP is known to attract the biggest of stars from all over the world. The first race of the F1 season has been the scene of epic drama in the past, memorably Max Verstappen’s first title win as he went head-to-head against Lewis Hamilton in 2021. And this year around, it will be Verstappen again, who will win his third consecutive title at the Yas Marina Circuit.
Regardless, the race continues to attract the biggest names to witness racing greatness in person, and among the stars present this time around was India’s very own Shreyas Iyer.
Iyer was spotted at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, and the middle-order batter went on to meet reigning champion, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen prior to the final GP of the year and presented him with an Indian team jersey, whilst snapping a picture with him.
Iyer had a rollercoaster of a World Cup campaign this past month, starting off with consecutively underwhelming perfomances before suddenly turning over a new leaf and knocking three consecutive WC centuries of his own enroute to the final against Australia.
India unfortunately couldn’t overthrow the then-five-time champions, and hence allowed Australia to clinch their sixth title at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Iyer though had solidified his claim as the best No.4 batter in the world, putting on a ridiculous show for the world to witness and shall most certainly be one to carry on his form in the future.
Verstappen on the other hand will also be looking forward to finish off his F1 campaign on yet another high note, having already wrapped up the title for himself.
His 33rd pole in Abu Dhabi pulled him alongside Mansell on the record books while a potential 54th win would pull him one clear of Vettel with whom he currently shares 53 wins.
“Let’s see!” he said. “I have no clue how good we are going to be in the race. We are usually quite decent, but it’s been a very special season and we’ve been enjoying it a lot — and I’m very proud of what we have achieved so far this year,” said Verstappen prior to the race.
