WATCH: Maria Sharapova and Lewis Hamilton share warm embrace at F1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Maria Sharapova shared a warm embrace with Formula One superstar Lewis Hamilton at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Sharapova has indulged her love for motorsports this year, attending multiple F1 races. She also had the opportunity to present Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen with the Pirelli Pole Position award at the Monaco Grand Prix.
The five-time Grand Slam champion attended the final Grand Prix of the season on Sunday, November 26, getting the chance to catch up with Ons Jabeur. The race was a star-studded event, with Maria Sharapova rubbing shoulders with supermodel Naomi Campbell and actress Priyanka Chopra.
Ahead of the race, Lewis Hamilton took the time to greet some of the celebrities in attendance, hugging Campbell before affectionately embracing Sharapova.
Max Verstappen, the 2023 World Champion, clinched his record-extending 19th win of the season in Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc claimed second place and Mercedes' George Russell finished third.
Hamilton, on the other hand, finished ninth, concluding the season in third place in the World Drivers' Championship standings.
Maria Sharapova calls out the significant disparity in ATP and WTA prize money
During a Bloomberg Screentime conference with Jason Kelly last month, Maria Sharapova called out the substantial disparity in prize money between the ATP and WTA.
"Just this week, there’s a men’s tournament actually still happening in Shanghai with the Winner’s prize check of $1.2 million. In the same week, there’s a women’s tournament in China with the Winner’s check at $120,000," Maria Sharapova said.
The former World No. 1 argued that while Grand Slam tournaments can boast equal pay, the difference in prize money beyond the Majors was "insane."
"I don't know if anyone's familiar with those numbers but you go to a Grand Slam and we are celebrating equal prize money. Great. Those are the biggest events with the biggest attention, media, and the buzz. But then the rest of the tour which is the eight or nine other months is there. The disparity is is insane and that needs to be addressed," she added.
The 36-year-old also emphasized the need for combined action from tennis' governing bodies, namely the ATP, WTA, and ITA, to tackle such issues in the sport.
"There are so many entities, you have the WTA, ATP, and ITA of the tours being on the same page on the same schedule. Ownership of tournaments is different. So how do you align the calendar when you have so many events throughout the year? How do you make it accessible, interesting, engaging? It will take time. It's not going to happen tomorrow. But I sure hope it does," Sharapova said.