Branson leaves Abu Dhabi with AirAsia uniform

Sir Richard Branson left Abu Dhabi on Sunday with an AirAsia stewardess uniform in his luggage.

It was given to him by Tony Fernandes, the owner of the low-cost Malaysian airline and the F1 team currently known as Lotus.

At the beginning of the season, Fernandes and fellow airline owner Branson, figurehead the Virgin team, wagered that the worst of the F1 newcomers would host the other on a low-haul flight — dressed as a stewardess.

“He’ll have to work the whole flight.  He’ll have to serve, he’ll have to clean, he’ll have to clean the toilets,” Fernandes is quoted by Reuters, after Lotus Racing finished the 2010 season in the coveted tenth place.

Virgin finished last, behind HRT.

“Watch out London-KL,” Fernandes wrote on Twitter.

Smiled billionaire Branson: “The only positive thing is we own 20 per cent of his company so I’ll be able to get some promotion for a company I have a stake in.”

Also defeated and leaving Abu Dhabi with a much heavier heart is Mark Webber, who finishes the championship just third and was absent as Red Bull partied loudly on Sunday night to celebrate Sebastian Vettel’s title.

“He’s down really, to be honest with you,” his father Alan admitted.