Joaquin Niemann thanks $35M-worth F1 driver for a "warm welcome" at the Italian GP

Joaquin Niemann revealed he enjoyed a warm weekend at the Italian Grand Prix, where he was welcomed by McLaren star Lando Norris. The Chilean golfer later took to Instagram to thank Norris, who has an estimated net worth of $35 million, for the hospitality at Monza.

A day earlier, on September 6, Joaquin Niemann was spotted enjoying VIP access at Monza alongside his wife, Christina Hellema Puga. The couple posed for pictures inside the McLaren garage while celebrating Norris’ strong qualifying performance.

On September 7, Joaquin Niemann shared a carousel of nine slides from his time at Autodromo Nazionale Monza. He was seen wearing an orange T-shirt with a VIP pass around his neck, and the post also included a short clip of the McLaren crew changing tyres in the garage. Captioning the post, Niemann wrote:

"Gran Premio d’Italia 🇮🇹 🍨 An honor to share the team atmosphere in the @mclaren garages 🏎️. Thanks @zbrownceo and @lando for the warm welcome — let’s flip it next time, see you on the course w/@torquegc_ ⛳️"

The race itself turned into a dramatic outing for Norris. A slow pit stop saw him drop behind title rival Oscar Piastri in the closing stages, threatening his championship bid. However, McLaren intervened, instructing Piastri to let Norris through with just four laps to go. The British driver eventually finished runner-up to Max Verstappen, cutting Piastri’s lead in the standings to 31 points.

Norris made his Formula 1 debut with McLaren in 2019 and has since established himself as one of the sport’s brightest young talents. His presence at Monza gave Niemann a unique behind-the-scenes experience, one he described as an “honor” to share.

Joaquin Niemann reflects on falling short of Jon Rahm in the LIV Golf season race

Joaquin Niemann narrowly missed out on the 2025 LIV Golf individual title, finishing just three points behind Jon Rahm in the season standings. Despite collecting five victories this year, the Chilean was edged out by Rahm, who secured the crown without a single tournament win.

Speaking after the finale in Indianapolis, Niemann admitted it was tough to accept such a close loss. He acknowledged that stronger performances in the last few events might have shifted the outcome but praised Rahm’s ability to rise to the moment.

“It was obviously three points apart. I could have played better today, this week, or probably last week… But Jon (Rahm) just proved how good he is and how good he is in these moments,” Niemann said.

The 26-year-old reflected on the season with a balanced outlook. While his five wins and a career-first major top-10 were standout highlights, he admitted his play in other majors fell short of expectations. Still, Joaquin Niemann viewed the year as a valuable step forward.

“Obviously it was a great year. I look back, I won five times, had my first top 10 in a major, didn’t play well at the other ones. But there’s so much learning, so many things I can get better at, and I’m actually really excited about it… I can’t wait to have some chill time,” he added.

Joaquin Niemann wrapped up the Indianapolis event tied for fourth at 17-under, just shy of what would have been a sixth win in 2025.