F1 legend Fernando Alonso will get paid $1m to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on TV, in his car

Fernando Alonso smiling while being surrounded by falling bank notes — Photo: © IMAGO

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso will get paid $1m to watch the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on TV, in his car

Fernando Alonso qualified up in sixth

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 6 December 2025 19:43

Have you ever slacked off from your actual job just to watch live sport? What's more, be paid around $1million to do just that?

Well, two-time F1 world champion Fernando Alonso has suggested that he will be watching the title showdown between Lando Norris, Max Verstappen and Oscar Piastri at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on TV like the rest of us.

The Spaniard has qualified up in sixth for the season-ending event, and may well have hopes of getting himself into the mix for a top-five finish.

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Aston Martin are in a battle for sixth in the constructors' championship with Racing Bulls at the Yas Marina Circuit, with every position worth a huge amount to the teams.

But Alonso is seemingly more interested in the title battle out front, where all three championship protagonists are starting first, second and third respectively.

Four-time champion Verstappen is starting on pole, and is 12 points behind Norris, who starts second knowing that all he needs is a podium finish in order to wrap up a maiden championship title.

Alonso has suggested that he will be watching the title showdown from the cockpit of his AMR25, stating that there are so many screens around the Yas Marina Circuit to be able to watch the rest of the race.

The 44-year-old is paid roughly $20 million per year at Aston Martin, and with 24 events on the calendar that means he's paid almost $1 million per race weekend. So are Aston Martin basically paying the 44-year-old $1 million to watch the race on TV screens on Sunday?

"It’s a very easy circuit," Alonso told media after qualifying. "At three you have a screen that's in the middle. At five, there's another one on the inside, at seven on the outside, at nine there are two: one at the entrance and one at the exit.

"Lots of screens, it's going to be a show for us."

Who will claim title in Abu Dhabi?

Norris is the favourite for the title given his points advantage, but Verstappen's ability to put his Red Bull on pole position could be crucial.

The last 10 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix events have been won from pole, and it's been a season in which qualifying position has been very important due to the convergence in the performance of all teams.

So, that makes Verstappen the huge favourite to claim the race victory, but as long as Norris can stay ahead of team-mate Piastri and Mercedes driver George Russell who's starting fourth, he will be world champion.

Piastri is also in the mix for the championship, 16 points behind Norris, but he faces a huge uphill battle for that to happen on Sunday.

Either way, it's clear that Alonso and his fellow competitors are going to be enjoying watching the action on the big screens around the Yas Marina Circuit.

Just a shame that they won't be able to hear Ted Kravitz and Martin Brundle's analysis!

F1 Fernando Alonso Abu Dhabi Grand Prix