While some read books, others do yoga, but have you wondered what world leaders truly do in their free time? For Czech Republic president Petr Pavel, the answer is sports photography. This weekend the 64-year-old world leader was spotted attending the Hungarian GP, not as a guest but as a photographer. He arrived with a full photography kit and an official FIA accreditation. He arrived at the Hungaroring for Saturday’s sessions and was already taking pictures, accompanied by Czech F1 photographer Jiri Krenek.The Czech president had a security detail alongside him in the pit lane as he chatted with Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the president of the FIA, F1’s governing body. He was using both Canon and Nikon camera systems.Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time he was seen at a major motorsport event as a hobby photographer. Most recently, he travelled to France in June to attend the Le Mans 24 Hours, again equipped with full camera gear. In fact, the former NATO Military Chairman has attended several races on both two and four wheels over the years. Within the Czech Republic, he has covered the MotoGP and World Superbike events at Brno, while he has also travelled as far as US and Saudi Arabia to photograph NASCAR and the Dakar Rally respectively. Some of the photographs he took at the 2025 Dakar event, where he also supported Czech competitors, were put on display at the National Technical Museum in Prague.Beyond being a hobby, the president uses his photography for charitable causes as well. In 2025, he also raised nearly 30,000 euros for a charity dedicated to children, single parents and the elderly by auctioning a photo album.“Motorsport is a fascinating world and I am glad that I can not only watch it, but also record it in some way and share it with others. I hope that my photographs will bring the beauty and challenge of this legendary race closer to the audience,” he said at the launch of the exhibit in March, 2025.
Czech Republic President Petr Pavel spotted at Hungarian GP as a professional photographer
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