3 times Roger Federer met F1 royalty

Lawn tennis icon Roger Federer has been an F1 fan for close to a decade now. The 20-time Grand Slam title winner has been a prominent Mercedes guest in the paddock over the years and even made an appearance this season as well. The Swiss superstar has always made it a point to show his love for F1.

So, when the tennis legend retired, the F1 world took turns wishing him good luck for the next phase of his life. Nico Hulkenberg was one of the first as the German tweeted:

“Roger, thanks for countless goosebump moments on the court and congratulations on an incredible career. One last dance!”

The Mercedes team also wished Roger Federer the best for the next chapter of his life:

Earlier this season, Roger Federer visited the paddock during the Spanish GP. The tennis legend had said:

“I followed it a lot when I was younger and then obviously I went on tour and it’s so hard to follow everything on the road. I remember going to the big final when [Nico] Rosberg was going against Hamilton in 2016, I believe it was, in Abu Dhabi. But this is only my second time to a Formula 1 race.”

“It’s very exciting for me. I was in the [Mercedes] briefing room actually as Lewis and George were talking to the team and telling them all the details. It was incredible to see, so I was very lucky. I can’t tell you any secrets, I was like ‘what am I doing in here? I’m not supposed to know all this information’, so I’m now going to forget it all again! But it was just interesting to dive into another sport and it inspires and motivates me to come back again.”

So who are the F1 royalties that Roger Federer has met over the years? Well, let's find out!

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#1 Lewis Hamilton (2022 F1 Spanish GP and 2016 F1 Abu Dhabi GP)

Roger Federer has met Lewis Hamilton off the track as well, but the two legends have met twice in the paddock as well. The first was during the high-intensity championship finale between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in Abu Dhabi in 2016.

The second time that Federer made an appearance on the paddock was this season at Barcelona during the Spanish GP. Neither of the two appearances has unfortunately proved lucky for Hamilton.

The race in Abu Dhabi in 2016 saw the Briton lose the championship to Nico Rosberg even though he did win the race. To make things worse, Rosberg retired at the end of the season and did not allow Hamilton to avenge his defeat. Even this season, the Spanish GP saw Hamilton suffer early damage to his car and his race was somewhat compromised because of that.

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#2 Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff's association with Roger Federer has been almost a decade long. Federer's initiation to the F1 grid has been from Mercedes itself, with Wolff often at the helm of the affairs.

It was Wolff who arranged for the tennis star to come down to the paddock for the first time in 2016 in Abu Dhabi. Even this season, Federer was seen mingling with the Mercedes boss in Barcelona.

The two were also seen at the 2018 Laureus Awards where Federer was awarded 'Comeback of the Year' and 'Sportsman of the Year' while Toto Wolff received the 'Team of the Year' award for Mercedes.

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#3 Nico Rosberg (2016 F1 Abu Dhabi GP)

Nico Rosberg met Roger Federer during the 2016 season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit. As mentioned earlier, Toto Wolff arranged for the tennis star to arrive at the paddock in Abu Dhabi.

The race was the perfect showdown between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg, two Mercedes drivers, with the tennis ace in attendance. Federer's presence turned out to be lucky for Rosberg as he won the title by finishing second in a race that was simply nerve-wracking.

Federer has been an F1 follower but being constantly on tour, he's found it hard to keep up with the sport. With the Swiss legend retiring from tennis, it would be interesting to see if his interest in F1 reignites and we often find him visiting the paddock.