Inside Michael Schumacher’s wild parties as former F1 mechanic lifts lid on mad bash with Lewis Hamilton and glam Wag

MICHAEL SCHUMACHER was a Formula One party kingpin during his racing days, while Lewis Hamilton once took over a nightclub on a night out.

Former F1 mechanic Marc Priestly has lifted the lid on some of the wild antics which happened when the stars hit the bars and clubs.

Priestly, who was a McLaren mechanic from 2000 to 2009, told Casino Uden Rofus how one of his favourite memories came when he threw a Bacardi and coke into Schumacher‘s face.

He said: “Throwing a Barcardi and coke in Michael Schumacher’s face at his birthday party was definitely one of my favourite ever memories of him, purely because he burst out laughing after I did it.

“I wasn’t the only one who threw a drink, by the way!

“There were loads of moments when Schumacher was in the car that the whole world remembers, but there were plenty of memories outside of the car of him being a fun, nice guy.

“Schumacher got very serious when it was time to work, in the car or with the engineers, but outside of that he always knew how to relax and I was always impressed with that.

“Schumacher always threw great parties, there were many occasions of doing karaoke in Japan after the final race of the season in Suzuka.

“Dancing with his shirt off in nightclubs, he was just a great, fun guy at the end of a season or race weekend.

“That’s how F1 should be, because it’s such a high-pressure job, you have to let your hair down sometimes.”

BEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS

News broke this morning that the German racer, 55, was set to become a grandad for the first time after his daughter Gina announced she was pregnant – three months after she got married.

Reports had emerged suggesting Schumacher had attended the wedding, but this was not confirmed.

The legendary driver has been kept away from the public eye by his family since his skiing accident in December 2013.

Priestley believes Max Verstappen would have got on well with the seven-time World Champion, but saved special praise for ex-McLaren and Ferrari driver, Kimi Raikkonen.

He added: “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.

“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.”

Priestley also recalled the 2008 McLaren team party following Hamilton‘s first World Drivers Championship title and how his then-girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger helping to show off a different side of him.

He explained: “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, Priestley believes modern F1 drivers are too conscious about their partying antics potentially being filmed and put onto social media.

He continued: “These parties were pre-social media and phones, so it was a close group of friends where you can have fun and not worry about the consequences.

“Drivers nowadays would worry if they’re being recorded…

“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.”