Alonso and Johnson drive together in Abu Dhabi

Alonso and Johnson in Abu Dhabi

Seven-time NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and two-time Formula One champion Fernando Alonso drove around the Abu Dhabi F1 track on a blazing hot Saturday afternoon.

Alonso took the wheel of the McLaren 570S car, with Johnson in the passenger seat, as they completed a few laps around Yas Marina circuit.

“Fernando was very, very upset he couldn’t turn off the (stability) assistance from the car and the traction control," Johnson joked afterward at the McLaren motorhome. “So we spent two laps trying to figure out how to push the buttons to turn that off. As soon as we got that off, we spun out."

On Monday, they will swap race cars in Bahrain for an event they have been teasing about on their social media accounts in recent weeks.

The 43-year-old Johnson arrived in Abu Dhabi from the McLaren headquarters in Woking, England, where he got a seat fitting and time in the McLaren simulator.