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Oscar Piastri has made the journey to Uzbekistan for the FIA Prize Giving gala where team-mate Lando Norris will receive his trophy for winning the Formula 1 drivers' title. But the other championship candidate will be absent from Friday's event in Tashkent after Max Verstappen did not make the trip, citing illness.

The FIA gives out its trophies at an end-of-season gala every year and, this time, has chosen the Uzbek capital to host its event. Tashkent also hosted the FIA General Assembly earlier on Friday where it was confirmed that Mohammed ben Sulayem had won re-election as the governing body's president, after those who had intended to run against him were ruled ineligible to appear on the ballot.

One man not in Tashkent is Verstappen, whose 1,457-day reign as F1 champion came to an end on Sunday when Norris' podium in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was enough to make him champion by two points. The Dutchman will not be present to see his rival pick up the trophy, having reported that he is suffering from the flu.

He is not the first runner-up in recent years to skip the end-of-season event. Lewis Hamilton decided not to show up in the aftermath of his 2021 title defeat to Verstappen, which happened in highly controversial circumstances, and was fined £43,800 by the FIA for failing to attend to gala.

Piastri, though, has decided to make the journey. He and team-mate Norris were among nine people pictured in an image posted by McLaren Racing chief executive Zak Brown on social media, which showed them inside a private plane travelling to the central Asian country.

Piastri was seated next to girlfriend Lily Zneimer while Norris was also accompanied by his partner Magui Corceiro, who had her arm around her boyfriend. Also on board were team principal Andrea Stella and his wife, Michela, as well as Formula 1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali.

Brown wrote in the caption: "On our way to the FIA Awards to mark the end of a truly incredible season and celebrate the very best in our sport."

The ceremony is set to begin at 6pm UK time, which means a very late start in Tashkent of 11pm local time. The Prize Giving gala tends to last for more than two hours with F1 prizes usually handed out at the end of the ceremony.

Those who would like to watch live will be able to do so for free via the FIA's YouTube channel. There will also be a live chat function for those who want to get involved in the conversation as the event goes on.