Marc Priestley has shared his memories of F1 Christmas parties including Lewis Hamilton’s 2008 title celebrations where the British driver DJed at a nightclub with Nicole Scherzinger
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Lewis Hamilton doesn’t get anywhere near Michael Schumacher when it comes to partying(Image: Clive Rose, Getty Images)
Marc Priestley, a former engineer at McLaren, has shared his experiences of partying with Lewis Hamilton during their time together at the Woking-based team. He revealed that after winning his first World Championship, Hamilton ‘took over the decks’.
Hamilton was a sensation in his early days at McLaren. After narrowly missing out on an unprecedented rookie title in 2007, he clinched the Drivers’ Championship in 2008, snatching the crown from Felipe Massa on the final lap of a tumultuous Brazilian Grand Prix.
This victory sparked wild celebrations in the McLaren garage, and according to Priestley, the festivities continued well into the night. Speaking to Casino Uden Rufos, he said: “Fernando Alonso did not turn up to our Christmas parties, as you can imagine with how it ended with McLaren.
“Lewis Hamilton can be great at the parties. I remember when he won his first world championship in 2008, he brought his girlfriend at the time, Nicole Scherzinger. Hamilton took over the decks at a nightclub we were at and was DJing most of the night. Scherzinger got onto the mic and started singing, with Hamilton joining in, I’ve seen all sides of him!”.
However, while Priestley looks back fondly on Hamilton’s parties, the seven-time world champion is not the F1 star known for the wildest celebrations. That distinction is shared between Ferrari legend Michael Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen.
“I can imagine Max Verstappen and Michael Schumacher would had some good fun but I don’t think it would have been anything like the Schumacher and Kimi Raikkonen parties, which I went to a few of,” he continued.
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Lewis Hamilton enjoyed some wild parties during his McLaren days(Image: Getty)
“Raikkonen was a great guy, he took his racing and partying to extreme levels. He would drive his car amazingly with record lap times, but he would party like crazy. Raikkonen was like a 22-year-old kid but also a millionaire.
“It was the way to be, and it was a good time. Lots of these drivers coming through now are still very young, like Lando Norris and Max Verstappen, but they need to have a bit of fun. But, awareness of being recorded will always be in the back of their minds, and the old drivers never really had to worry about it.
“If a photographer took a picture of something a driver wasn’t supposed to do, they’d ask if the photographer could give them the picture or film and it would never go any further. Now, if someone takes a picture on their phone, it’s online forever.”