Behind the scenes in Abu Dhabi

This year's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix might not have had the tension of last season's world championship showdown, but there was an air of excitement throughout the weekend about an event that has established itself as a well-liked regular on the schedule.

After the 'fun' of the facilities at the Indian Grand Prix, and that infamous 'Stairway to Heaven', the Yas Marina Circuit looked sparkling in comparison - with the infrastructure now well bedded in, and trees, grass and flowers all growing beautifully to make the place look pristine.

In fact, the only complaint about the venue appeared to be that a few of the teams' office-unit toilets didn't have locks - which led to one highly-amusing moment when one well-known former team boss (who shall remain unidentified) walked in on one of his former rivals (who shall also remain anonymous) while he was having a pre-race pitstop.

Cue much laughter and some very choice language!

Yet the buzz in Abu Dhabi had nothing to do with the facilities, or even toilet humour. Instead, it was about the big stars who came to town for the weekend - and they don't come much bigger than Paul McCartney.

The former Beatle played at the post-race concert on Sunday night, and his presence in the paddock drew out the photographers and paddock regulars like few have done before, beating the likes of football legend Ronaldo, Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini and Hollywood star Steven Seagal.

F1 is pretty lucky at the moment to have some blindingly fast drivers who also have a decent sense of humour.

No two men at the moment can outdo Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button on that front, with the pair appearing to enjoy themselves as much off the track as they do on it.

Vettel appeared particularly tickled last weekend by a bit of a moustache-related double - as his recent run of equalling or beating Nigel Mansell's records prompted some amusement in the paddock.

Jenson Button was keen to point to his participation in 'Movember' © sutton-images.com

Speaking to the TV cameras about his achievements - and the fact that Mansell had written a note to him after his record fell for the most laps led in a season - Vettel revealed he had first seen the 1992 champion as a waxwork model in Madame Tussauds.

When asked if a request had gone in for Vettel to have a model made of himself, he said with a big grin on his face: "No. I haven't been there for a long time, so they haven't asked me. And the only German there is not so popular, so maybe not a good idea!"

But if Mansell thought he had the most famous moustache in F1, his feat was beaten - at least for the Abu Dhabi weekend - by Button.

The McLaren driver had decided to take part in 'Movember', a charity initiative that helps raise money and awareness for men's health issues. The scheme works by men getting sponsored for not shaving their upper lip for the entire month.

Button is well known for having facial hair, but his blond moustache certainly raised a few eyebrows - and Vettel kept pointing to it during their post-qualifying press conferences together.

Speaking about it in the paddock, Button confessed to having a bit of a head start, but was more than happy to do his part for charity and donate money himself from the Jenson Button Trust.

"I started one day before the start of the month... it just grows fast," explained Button. "I am just a hairy monster.

"I'm actually donating myself through my trust, giving money personally and through the trust. It's just an excuse to put a 'tache on my face..."

However, as Button left Abu Dhabi he wasn't sure if he would be able to see out his moustache growing - because he was scheduled to do a photo shoot with a team sponsor, which may not have taken too kindly to having pictures that are only relevant for one month...

"I don't know yet. I haven't decided what I'm going to do," he said. "I have a photo shoot, so if I shave it off, hopefully the sponsor will have to give lots of money to charity..."

Rubens Barrichello might have had a pretty miserable time over much of the Abu Dhabi weekend, as he suffered the worst grid position of his F1 career, but he had at least arrived in high spirits as a new 'champion'.

Rubens Barrichello arrived in Abu Dhabi as a newly-crowned champion © sutton-images.com

While Barrichello hasn't had much to smile about with his recent results in F1, as Williams endures the worst season in its history, the Brazilian has been getting his racing kicks with a bit of online racing.

Barrichello has been involved in a virtual touring car championship, and just ahead of the Abu Dhabi GP he crowned his season with the title.

"I won the championship!" he smiled. "I am mega now on that! I had to finish first and my main rival had to finish third, but he finished fourth - so it was just mega! It's getting better and better.

"And now in two weeks we are going to start the Brazilian stockcar championship."

Barrichello believes a touring car simulation is much more competitive, and ultimately better, than an F1 version - because of the way the cars handle.

"It's much more close to reality on the touring cars," he explained. "There are fewer g-forces and so on, while in F1 you don't feel the rear so much.

"And my prize money is getting higher and higher, so things are getting better - it's the way it should be in F1!"