#F1
journalist living in Sweden. News, features, videos and podcasts for
@wearetherace
. Words for GQ Sports, Teknikens Värld and more.
#CAFC
and
#DIF
fan.
So,
@SMitchellMalm
- with no discernible
#F1
interest whatsoever - decided to start watching Drive to Survive. Out of a sense of duty I suppose.
She’s watching from the latest season. She’s hooked. And I think - I *think* - she’s just reached the McLaren driver saga.
The
#QatarGP
weekend didn’t go as expected. Fortunately I was at home… 😬
Oskar didn’t fancy waiting for the 18th. He turned out to be a great omen for his
#F1
namesake (you’re welcome
@OscarPiastri
@McLarenF1
).
The joy is overwhelming and so is the awe I have for Sara ❤️
Monaco has banned metal bottles so had to hand over my reusable one at the door, and these are the cups for the water dispenser (dictaphone for scale!). F1 wants to eliminate single-use plastics in the paddock but Monaco does this. I’m grouchy, I know, but it just seems stupid.
“Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.
#SayHerName
." Some people continue to be more concerned with
@LewisHamilton
urging action than they are the reason he needs to. That this can be controversial to anybody shows why his commitment is sorely needed:
The meeting that became the drivers’ briefing then morphed into a drivers-only conversation, which is still going on. Some of these drivers have been in there for an hour and a half now since arriving for the first meeting.
No apology or even a hint of one to fans in this, which is extremely disappointing. And it is borderline self-congratulatory in places. Friday ticketholders deserve refunds but based on this lengthy justification I would be very surprised.
Fernando Alonso has rapidly followed through with his intention to speak to FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He made clear earlier his concerns that driver nationality may be influencing penalties. Just emerged from FIA hospitality accompanied by team boss Mike Krack.
Lewis says it's a normal process for him to question if he's willing to go again. This was "compounded by a significant factor".
"There was a moment I lost a little bit of faith with the system. But while moments like this might define careers I refuse to let this define mine."
Alex Albon says last week's Lewis Hamilton/Ferrari news was a "pinch yourself" moment.
"Like is this a real story? There’s so many rumours going over the winter, you didn’t know what had any credibility or not. It definitely seemed to be a rumour at the very beginning."
Halo saved Roy Nissany's life. That's an accident he was entirely to blame for. The kerb launched Hauger's car into him but equally it's not designed to be hit from that angle because cars shouldn't be forced off the road like that into a braking zone. Race ban merited, I think.
An
#EndRacism
banner on the grid and shirts for 19 drivers, Lewis Hamilton wearing a
#BlackLivesMatter
one. The
#WeRaceAsOne
element. Most kneeled, some stood. Fair to say not the most consistent messaging (e.g. Premier League). But there is unity in
#F1
against discrimination.
Good to see. Also a nice little side note: Lewis Hamilton went down to Haas earlier after qualifying to check on Mick - obviously Mick wasn't there but Lewis stayed to have a quick chat with Haas personnel to ask about him.
Interesting to read Lewis Hamilton has been offered a new deal but hasn’t been offered a new deal, and wants more money but is happy with the money and is just arguing over the length of the contract, which has been agreed but is also a point of contention. Big news.
Max Verstappen's pitlane exit overtakes in practice have prompted a clarification from the race director ahead of the rest of the
#AbuDhabiGP
weekend: "Overtaking is prohibited in the pit exit road unless a car slows with an obvious problem."
Absolutely top, top drawer performance from Nyck de Vries. Watched every lap and he was superb. But he needs help! “My shoulders are dead. Dead!” He's asked if someone can come to his car in parc ferme and help him get out. He can’t lift his arms anymore!
"Oh, Le Mans is on. I'll have a look to see what's happening."
Timing tower shows LMP2 order for ages and a bunch of car numbers. Doesn't say which car, which team, who is driving. Doesn't show race classification.
It really shouldn't be this hard for casual viewers.
Grandstands closed. Information from F1 was incorrect, sorry for that. This is a very sad state of affairs. And chaotic.
A lot of people unhappy that FP2 is going ahead at this time. Track conditions will be terrible, drivers are tired, mechanics will get hardly any sleep.
Lewis Hamilton has launched a new charity and personally pledged £20m to help fund it. It will work closely with Ignite, a new joint Hamilton/Mercedes initiative first mentioned as part of his 2021 deal, that will benefit from a fund created by both:
I agree with
@LandoNorris
on this. Mainly because I think awarding three penalty points for something the stewards have even admitted was an exceptional case, and wasn't dangerous, is nonsense in a system that's designed to stamp out careless/crap driving.
"I don't deserve three points on my licence for this, I didn't do anything dangerous"
Norris hits out at his
#AzerbaijanGP
#F1
penalties, saying grid drop could 'ruin his race' in a circumstance where he was just trying to make safest possible choice:
We’ve just watched probably the best fight in
#F1
history. Two elite drivers went head to head. Both would be worthy champions. Neither deserved to lose but one had to. It was a deeply unsatisfactory finish but you can still respect the quality of MV’s season. Lewis did.
Explain to me how you can penalise the driver who blocks someone because of the actions of others - but not other drivers who broke rules because “too many drivers contributed to the situation and therefore the driver concerned is not fully to blame”?
Lewis Hamilton missed the press conference because he's been excused from today's media work following Niki Lauda's death. Someone booed in the press conference room for that. I find it astonishing that people are judging someone else's response to the death of a close friend.
Still going on, past midnight and longer than two hours for a few of these guys now! Domenicali came back a while ago. Brawn joined them too. At this point sticking it out purely out of curiosity for how long it lasts…
A win yesterday would have helped perceptions of Lewis Hamilton’s season. But the bare facts still just look rather ordinary. What they don’t tell you about his 2022 is, whether he ends it winless or not, he’s been increasingly important for Mercedes:
The coordinated release of identical statements from all
#F1
teams distancing themselves from alleged complaints to the FIA about the Wolffs is a spectacularly damning and quite amusing development. A very public, united rejection. Has the FIA overreacted to a fictional issue?
"Misunderstanding and reactions" have apparently started an argument that's making F1 look bad. I don't like the FIA's implication that the real problem is people being outraged by what happened in Abu Dhabi, not what happened to outrage them. Here's why:
.
@LandoNorris
turns up on
@danielricciardo
's live Instagram chat with
@RenaultF1Team
and immediately gets a roasting from DR.
"The tech nerd of modern-day society. Not trying to be mean. He’s everywhere!"
Home time. One last Vettel anecdote, on Loeb still winning at 47 + why “age doesn’t matter”.
Vettel once teased Schumacher: “When I was a bit younger & a bit cocky I said to Michael, ‘When you're 40 it starts to be downhill’.
“He said 'Yeah it's true, but downhill is faster!’”
This is awesome - Seb Vettel hitched a passenger ride in the Audi S1 Quattro, driven by none other than Stig Blomqvist! Tremendous fever. Seb then jumped in with Oliver Solberg for the Norwegian’s heat in the final against Jimmie Johnson. He’s just a big fan!
F1 has rejected Andretti in the most emphatic terms. Doubts it would be competitive, customer engine would damage F1's 'prestige and standing', dismisses significance of Andretti name, would have no material commercial value, and would not add value to F1.
What do you think?
Very disappointed whatever action taken isn’t being shared publicly. Further reason why proper
#F1
and FIA investigation was necessary. There’s a duty to ensure this was handled correctly. Instead the grey areas/uncertainties remain. Not good enough.
Mercedes/F1 statements don’t mention Piquet explicitly but their existence supports the wide interpretation that this comment was racist and malicious. Shows exactly the sort of thing Hamilton is fighting against, much as some like to pretend otherwise:
A nice sentiment, and I agree, but one minor point: not sure it’s actually that new! Leclerc’s pulled off plenty of tyre management races. Put so much effort into learning in his first Ferrari season alongside Vettel in 2019. Built a wider skillset than given credit for at times.
There’s a new tyre whisperer in town 😉
A great effort by
@Charles_Leclerc
this weekend coming back from P8 to P4 on a one stop strategy 👏
#JapaneseGP
#F1
On Lewis Hamilton and
#BlackLivesMatter
, I’ve seen the Mercedes/nazism/hypocrisy point made. Please don’t fall for it. It’s whataboutery, it’s a debate supported by Nigel Farage, it’s ignorant to context. It’s a tactic designed to distract and detract from the issue at hand.
What a win for
@Carlossainz55
post-appendectomy. He is F1's most underrated driver. He's done well against great team-mates: rookie 2015 vs Verstappen, McLaren with Norris, now Ferrari/Leclerc. Really rounded, faster than you think, popular team member. Deserves more credit.
A glowing tribute to Hamilton the driver + person from Bottas in this piece. Also includes: "After everything that happened at the end of last year, you’ll see. He’s going to be pretty strong and he’s going to have the fire inside him – so, beware!”
Lewis Hamilton's Black Panther-inspired salute to Chadwick Boseman doesn't end with a gesture. That film was gamechanging in a white-dominated industry, showcasing black excellence on a global stage. Hamilton's doing the same in
#F1
. Now that's a tribute:
Would never question the reaction from those impacted by Grenfell. Totally understandable. It’s the major news outlets (TV and national newspapers) that reported it as criticism of a “Hamilton deal” that’s been out of line. Inaccurate, unfair, puts blame on him. Happens too much.
Mercedes
#F1
boss Toto Wolff offers to meet survivors and bereaved families from the Grenfell Tower tragedy as he apologises for "hurt" caused by team's new deal with a firm implicated in the fire:
Underwhelming trend. But there was low hanging fruit in F1 when Haas entered with a unique but limited model. No longer. Haas needs an overhaul that Gene doesn’t want to fund. Steiner not a perfect team boss by any means but isn’t to blame for this record. It goes deeper.
Vettel's putting family before
#F1
: "My goals have shifted to seeing my children grow, passing on my values, helping them up when they fall, listening to them when they need me, not having to say goodbye and most importantly being able to learn from them and let them inspire me".
The ‘greatest
#F1
driver ever’ debate will never end. But here’s why Lewis Hamilton won’t take part and how he views his place in history, including a dignified address of comments like Jackie Stewart’s and what he wants to be remembered for:
For what it’s worth, from what I’ve heard I suspect this ends with at least a few drivers expressing unease/unhappiness but accepting the race had to go ahead as it’s what the majority wanted. As ‘unanimous agreement’ isn’t exactly the same as ‘unanimous belief this is right’.
I knew I’d wake up to this. ‘
#F1
doesn’t have a diversity problem, it’s all a meritocracy, etc’. So are we meant to believe only White men are good enough to work in F1? Nonsense. And this is exactly why the Hamilton Commission report matters:
An F1 team is launching its car roughly about now at an event hardly anybody could go to and fans can't watch. Do you find that odd? Appealing mainly to die-hard fans of all that sweet Visa Cash App F1 heritage.
Saturday track action starting in Bahrain with all the attention off-track, on the Horner situation. Have replied to a few tweets now so thought a standalone thread might be of interest. I've (hopefully) disabled comments as not looking to spark argument or bait for engagement.
Full story here on the Hamilton Commission's report. Stark findings and clear recommendations for
#F1
and UK motorsport. The report itself is very impressive but on the off chance you don't want to read 180-odd pages at this hour, I've got you covered:
Watch this not only for
@lauracwinter
's professionalism in producing such an eloquent piece to camera on this topic in the circumstances, but for what she says. Listen, take it seriously, put it in context, act accordingly. It's the very least we can do. F1 often forgets that.
International Women’s Day is difficult for me - five years ago on this day I was attacked & escaped an abusive relationship. I feel a huge duty and pressure to do something & so I was incredibly grateful and moved to be able to say these words on air.
Thank you for watching 🩷
One more. Williams boss and ex-Mercedes man James Vowles on Hamilton's Ferrari move: "It’s the hardest thing to do for every human in the world, to move from where you’re comfortable to where you’re not. It challenges you and pushes you to the limits, and that’s Lewis all over."
An
#F1
driver on a British topical debate TV show is the ultimate 'stick to sport' defiance. Vettel the self-confessed 'hypocrite' was at his engaging, authentic best on complex issues + confronted his own mental conflict with a charming, honest response:
Three similar offences, three different penalties - but it makes sense this time. Verstappen gets five places because he ignored double-waved yellows. Bottas gets three because he ignored single-waved yellows. Sainz gets nothing because he didn't actually ignore anything.
❗️ Max Verstappen has been given a five-place
#F1
grid penalty for the
#QatarGP
for failing to slow for double-waved yellow flags in qualifying.
Valtteri Bottas has also been penalised meaning Pierre Gasly will start on the front row ⤵️
Sebastian Vettel + Stig Blomqvist + Audi S1 Quattro = a popular combination. Of all the sights and images I’ve seen over the last few days, nothing captures this year’s
@RaceOfChampions
quite like this. What a moment and what a photograph 👏
I put this to Seb Vettel after the race today. He smiled - hadn't heard about it - and said: "I need to have a look! But it’s a great track so let’s see."
I’ll double down and say it, Seb if you ever want to test an
@IndyCar
at
@roadamerica
we will make it happen. Would be an honor to have you in our car!
@RLLracing
I noticed how much positive sentiment Bottas has this year. So I put it to him. VB: "That’s nice, because I’m happy. I’m sure it reflects to people, you can see from the outside that I’m having a good time. It’s nice if people are happy for me. I definitely feel well supported."
You can hate the way the race and title was decided because it got messy and controversial. Look past the specific way it ended and judge the season in its entirety, though, and you can’t question the worthiness of
@Max33Verstappen
as
#F1
world champion:
Fresh story. F1's not open for entries at the moment and it doesn't look like the FIA has any interest in changing that for now. This is a key hurdle that will stop Andretti's bid progressing unless it can convince F1/FIA to open up:
Every now and again I find myself pondering how ridiculous it would be for Sergio Perez to be out of
#F1
next season. The reason tonight was realising that he's one of only two drivers to have a 100% point-scoring record this season. And the other's about to win the title.
There’s also this unapologetic nonsense from Ferrucci. Deliberate attempt to wreck the other car. Even worse he then gloats about it. Online racing has revealed much of drivers’ characters in lockdown. Saw a disappointing side of two drivers from Indy yesterday.
Lewis Hamilton was punished for a "simple error". So why wasn't Charles Leclerc at Spa? Here's why. I'm inclined to agree with the logic. But there's a fundamental issue within. It's not about bias or conspiracy, but a lack of stewarding transparency:
This is rammed now. Lewis Hamilton has joined. Ferrari and McLaren personnel too. Aston Martin drivers. Taken a while to assemble everybody but think the packed room is about ready to be addressed.
The mix of people who get the reference and people who think this is my own original opinion is exactly where I expected it to be and I’m finding it all equally amusing, happy weekend everybody ❤️
Hamilton and Leclerc together at Ferrari is something else. Would skip ahead to 2025 just for that. Hamilton must relish the prospect. No fear or hesitation going up against
#F1
’s next generation. Rate the self-confidence and the ‘why not?’ attitude to this in general.
When you see the cars in person and at better angles the extent of the work done to shape the sidepods is really apparent. The Red Bull shape, especially with the front of the floor, is really impressive.
In simplest terms:
* There's no automatic requirement to delete next lap if a driver exceeds track limits at last corner
* It gets specified at tracks where it's considered an advantage
* That's not the case in China because of the gravel trap
* Wrongly deleted so reinstated
Happy anniversary to surely the most brilliantly ridiculous finish to an
#F1
title battle ever. Also amusing to think that 13 years ago today, we had the season finale - but we've still got five races left in 2021...
RE the fans at Spa...these trips are a massive expense. They take ages to save for. They're special. It really sucks this one got ruined & I hope refunds happen. I've had a message from a fan that's rammed it home to me. Any who were here and do want to vent my DMs are open.
@joesaward
@rwilliams1947
@wearetherace
You’ve lost me I’m afraid Joe. Have I argued F1 shouldn’t race somewhere? I’m aware of the realities. F1 will never be beyond question for certain alliances. It’s the reality of business. But I believe people can (and should) do good things within that, where they can.
Not detracting from Max’s title, not saying Mercedes is pursuing a spurious protest - but the events of this evening have put F1’s title decider in its worst case scenario, as it is now on the hands of the stewards and the matter has moved off-track:
Two ridiculous incidents. I have loved what esports has enjoyed in this hiatus. But if you’re asking people to take it seriously then stupid stuff like this happens, it’s never going to be viewed as anything but a sideshow. Which is unfair on those who invest the time/effort.
At least this is simpler than what happened at Silverstone because we know Max definitely didn't make the corner, so Mercedes presumably didn't have to get
@svandoorne
do laps of Interlagos on Monday driving alternate lines through Turn 4 to build their case.
It's such a shame this is ending prematurely. But having spoken to Ricciardo and McLaren a lot (on the record and off it) there's still a ton of mutual respect. DR's professionalism even at his lowest has been impeccable. He's a very popular guy. It just didn't work on-track.
Flat out from Lewis Hamilton on the events of this week. Disappointing to see the FIA "has sought to question the integrity of one of the most incredible female leaders we’ve had in our sport without questioning, without any evidence".
"That’s just unacceptable," he says.