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Re the Lando to Monaco thing.
Lewis was in one of the Saturday paper supplements talking about his pride to be a nrit and based in Brit land. Literally the following day one of the Sunday supporters had Lewis talking about his move yo Monaco for tax reasons.
Literally the following day one of the Sunday supporters had Lewis talking about his move yo Monaco for tax reasons.
When LH bought himself a private jet, he landed it in Isle of Man first, specifically to get around the tax implications:
https://www.theguardian.com/news/2017/nov/06/lewis-hamilton-avoided-taxes-jet-isle-of-man-scheme-paradise-papers
(OK, to be fair, he did it via advisors, it's not something of his own devising but still...)
That said, I agree with the comments previously - if I had the money I'd be straight out of this country.
I wonder how much money is being put on Max to nerf Lewis at the first corner, definitely worth a fiver I reckon 😁
It's all relative though isn't it? They earn loads more than us, try and mitigate their liabilities and I expect the numbers are huge. Who here would agree to pay more than they could or wouldn't take action to minimise their outgoings on their current salaries? I don't hear many people saying 'Yeah I chucked another £10k at HMRC as it's the right thing to do...'...
Who here would agree to pay more than they could or wouldn’t take action to minimise their outgoings on their current salaries? I don’t hear many people saying ‘Yeah I chucked another £10k at HMRC as it’s the right thing to do…’…
That really. If it's legal then do it. If you don't like it moan about the law, not the people doing it.
Mercedes and Hamilton criticised for advertising Kingspan
Hamilton has been supportive of the Grenfell Tower survivors, Mercedes have put the makers of the cladding on the car for the Saudi Race.
I saw this, def a bit of an own goal- I'm thinking Hamilton might well put his foot down about this and ask for the adverising to be removed from his car...
I'm not sure it's totally fair reporting re kingspan. From what I read, their k15 product only accounted for 5% of the cladding and was used as a substitute product without their knowledge.
Edit: although having read that article above, the attitude of the directors at kingspan stinks.
Foreshadowing.
Here's 4 occasions when drivers have gone for the 'tactical shunt' option when in contention for the world championship:
An interesting compilation of significant collisions here too:
Yeah Kingspan's corporate governance is shocking and it's a massive own goal by Merc to carry their brand - but I expect they'll only make the change if the reaction looks like damaging the MB brand. Let's be honest here - if F1 teams had a deep social conscience they wouldn't even be in Saudi this weekend.
Looking at the first laps of Jeddah we'll have plenty of Sunday afternoon nap-time in between the red-flags and the race procession! 🙂
Let’s be honest here – if F1 teams had a deep social conscience they wouldn’t even be in Saudi this weekend.
They do make noises about trying to be a positive force though.
Vettel did this:
https://www.planetf1.com/news/sebastian-vettel-karting-event-jeddah/
Hamilton was on about wearing his rainbow helmet again to promote inclusivity for LGBTQ+ (of which Saudi has a horrendous record).
I doubt a weekend of racing will change much - fairly sure Saudi Arabia wouldn't be hosting it if they thought it would. I can't decide if you should go to places like that and "raise awareness" of the issues or boycott the country until it gets its human rights act in order. The risk of the latter is that the country becomes ever more isolated and extreme.
It's a good question. I remember lots of boycotting of South Africa going on during apartheid, and that came to an end, but I have no idea if one caused the other
😳😳
Just watching FP2 - the speeds are mega and there’s going to be a mighty crash if someone gets it wrong in traffic!
I watched a virtual lap of the circuit yesterday & thought someone would probably have an off at turns 22/23. I've just watched Leclercs crash... happened at that corner. Ooft.
Yep, no such thing as a little crash on this circuit it seems!
I can’t decide if you should go to places like that and “raise awareness” of the issues or boycott the country until it gets its human rights act in order. The risk of the latter is that the country becomes ever more isolated and extreme.
I think the idea is that going there can throw a spotlight on the various issues and give the rulers a chance to change. If they don't then the GP can be taken away. South Africa for example lost it's race after 1984 but then returned in 1993 after Apartheid ended. I doubt it had any real effect on it's own but lots of small things can add up.
I love the fact that the teams are all carrying Frank Williams name on the cars.
I like that - I suspect that won't be the case when, say, Briatore shuffles off this mortal coil.
From the Frank RIP thread, I've been pondering this -
Except he* wouldn’t have been driving for Williams the year after he won the title because of the teams long standing policy of not retaining world champions…
Even at their peak the Williams team never had the money to pay the kind of wages a defending champion would have been looking for.
*Senna
Jones - retired
Rosberg - stayed
Piquet - followed Honda turbos to Lotus to avoid the atmo Williams of '88
Mansell - ran away from Prost
Prost - ran away from Senna
Hill - booted early doors based on a dismal '95
Villeneuve - stayed
Jones, Rosberg and Hill were a plucked from relative obscurity - Piquet moved to Williams BECAUSE of the money! 🙂 The only one, I think, for whom money was ostensibly the reason was Our Nige, who agreed a deal for '93 and '94 then asked for money when prompted to sign the contract with Prost in the other car.
I don’t think the Saudi rulers will care what helmet design Hamilton or any of the drivers wear let alone what it is supposed to represent. It’s all just a bit of virtue signalling. F1 is all about the cash
This.
Let's not pretend that any of these very wealthy drivers care enough about the Saudi regime that they'd let it interfere with their income and lifestyle
It's not looking good for Lewis, he up before the stewards for ignoring double waved yellows in FP3
I can’t help thinking Lewis is being forensically examined in everything he does so someone can make sure MV wins the championship.
Fair enough if he’s done the crime but it’s in practice - it should not determine the race at all. If it’s done in quali it’s clear someone is trying to get their best lap but there’s no advantage in doing it in practice.
Fair enough if he’s done the crime but it’s in practice –
Yellow flags are about safety, so they apply as much to practice as they do qualifying. However, that said, this:
I can’t help thinking Lewis is being forensically examined in everything he does so someone can make sure MV wins the championship
Is probably true! They certainly changed the aero rules for this season to benefit Red Bull's low rake design
Phew!! No penalty
Re: permutations, am I right in thinking that if Hamilton wins the next two then the championship is his- or does he need a point or two for fastest lap too? Assuming that Verstappen is second of course, which he most likely will be
Re: permutations, am I right in thinking that if Hamilton wins the next two then the championship is his
Yes. There are massive permutations. The simplest thing is that if either Verstappen or Hamilton wins both races, they will be champ.
Strong possibility that the sessions get disrupted if someone ends up in a wall...
can’t help thinking Lewis is being forensically examined in everything he does so someone can make sure MV wins the championship.
come off it. Hamilton gets an easy ride as ever. guilty of ignoring waved yellows and also impeding another driver with no penalty. You would be calling foul If Verstappen had got away so lightly
A couple of changes of underclothes for Carlos Sainz I think…
Edit, protest period of Hamilton’s no further action has been extended…
guilty of ignoring waved yellows
Guilty in the court of TJ, maybe. Meanwhile, back in the real world:
"on-board video clearly shows there was no yellow flag displayed, no yellow lights were displayed to that driver and the yellow warning light was not visible on the driver’s steering wheel"
It's difficult to ignore things that didn't exist.
Whoops
Boom!
that was just a matter of time
Bahahahahahaaaaaa.
Great lap, til it wasn’t.
Hahaha.
For once, RB can't do any whinging about that one.
Yep - took a lot of risks on that lap.
I think Red Bulk will now be appealing the lack of penalty for Lewis.
deleted. Confuzzled
Wow. Verstappen was absolutely on it there, if he had have kept it together until the end and beat Lewis to pole then fair play.
This track is insane mind. 2 full safety cars and 1 virtual in the F2 race earlier. Ganna be bother the morra I reckon.
Buzzing Lewis is on pole 🙂
Shiiiiiiiiit that was insane. So tense!!!
Fair play to Max, that lap was Senna-esque in his attack and commitment
Aye, properly tense! I was on the edge of my seat screaming all sorts of utter bollocks at the TV
Do Red Bull get to sort MV’s car or is it a pit lane start?
ooof That was going to be an amazing lap from Verstappen...
Yeah, they can fix it, but 5 place grid drop if they have to change the gearbox.
Jos will be sending him to bed early with no supper! 🤣🤣
I’m a fairly recent F1 fan. Grew up in a motorbike obsessed family, MotoGP on every weekend. Always saw F1 as boring given that in MotoGP you can go from 1st to 4th to 1st in one corner, and F1 is won on tyres and in the pits.
Watched Drive to Survive and it’s gotten me into the drama behind the racing and I’ve enjoyed the whole season. I’m considering buying my younger bro a ticket for Silverstone next year for Christmas, but fk me, the expense.
I have a very well paying (whole industry is overpaid in my opinion) job in the City and even I’ve cringed. Two standard admission tickets, plus parking, before spending a penny - best part of £500. Appreciate it’s flagged as rich man’s sport but seems a bit out of touch.
The only F1 race I’ve ever been too was the European GP at Donington - I could never justify the expense - and I hate Silverstone!! 😀😀
I’d rather watch touring cars at Oulton Park.
Thanks for that contribution muffin man.
Anyway, quali anyone? Gearbox and five places coming up for max?
Verstappen showed his inexperience there. He was 0.4s up on Hamilton with 1 corner to go - take it easy & pole was his.
He was very lucky to not hit the wall at the start of the lap too.
How much should Hamilton pay Bottas to take out Verstappen on the first corner? That looks like it could be carnage tomorrow.
Mebbies he's actually just a bit binary; all or nothing.
Presumably they're built that way but some perhaps learn to play the long game?
Red Bull have appealed the "yellow flag" decision. But having read the stewards' verdict, there was no way Hamilton could have known there was a yellow...it even says "unlike other incidents this year". Really not clear what their appeal could be based on.
It wasn’t even a yellow - the single sign got turned on accidentally for 1 second with no other indications/flags.
If Horner was a batsman in cricket, he would burn all the teams Reviews on himself.
Verstappen showed his inexperience there
139 starts and 12 pole positions of inexperience?
Inexperience of being in a WC winning position.
Inexperience of being in a WC winning position.
Yep, he was trying too hard, got frustrated - basically the pressure is getting to him.
While he's behind on points, I think the advantage is definitely with Hamilton - he's been in this position before, he's a lot more mature and he knows how to play the long(er) game.
I'm wondering if this could go the way of the Brazilian GP in 2008 when Hamilton won literally in the last corner by overtaking to finish 5th (?) to win the WC by a single point.
Looking forward to the race tomorrow anyway! 🤞 for LH.
Verstappen showed his inexperience there. He was 0.4s up on Hamilton with 1 corner to go – take it easy & pole was his.
This is him all over. Never sees the bigger picture. He could be WDC one year but until he learns all the skills other than just speed he might always be the greatest “almost” WDC.
If he had made wiser decisions all season he would be WDC already.
robowns
I have a very well paying (whole industry is overpaid in my opinion) job in the City and even I’ve cringed. Two standard admission tickets, plus parking, before spending a penny – best part of £500. Appreciate it’s flagged as rich man’s sport but seems a bit out of touch.
It's expensive but it sells out, so arguably priced correctly from their point of view.
Last time i looked you can get good tickets in Hungary plus flight for less than half that.
I'm confused....Helmet Marko said they'd appealed, but both the FIA and Red Bull say they didn't. Helmet.
Two standard admission tickets, plus parking, before spending a penny – best part of £500. Appreciate it’s flagged as rich man’s sport but seems a bit out of touch.
Bit nuts - got a feeling we might have gone on Friday practice in '89 or '90 and it was 12 quid to get in. Grandstand seats opposite the pits in '91 might have been forty or fifty quid? I've little doubt we thought that extortionate at the time too, but I wouldn't even seriously consider going these days, and I'm absolutely confident that I have more disposable income than my dear old dad had (and no kids to pay for!).
Still, circuits have to pay millions to host a GP and literally the only way they make it back is through bums on seats - all that lovely billboard cash goes to Liberty. As pointed out, it always sells out, so.... I hate the ticket prices, but I understand why they are what they are.
“ The only F1 race I’ve ever been too was the European GP at Donington”
a wet Easter in 1993? So you witnessed the greatest lap of all time?
Kudos!
Two standard admission tickets, plus parking, before spending a penny – best part of £500. Appreciate it’s flagged as rich man’s sport but seems a bit out of touch.
Yeah but if you can afford it (and it sounds like you can) just do it...you'll love it. I've been to Silverstone twice, and did the whole weekend....arrived thursday late afternoon, camped thru until Monday morning, grandstand tickets for Sunday give you access to most stands on a first come, first served basis (not inner circuit) on Friday and Saturday. Seeing the cars close up is so so different to what you see on TV. There's a place you can stand near the fencing at track level and watch them go round Copse...incredible and terrifying at the same time.
Agree with Verstappen cracking under the pressure there, guessing he wanted to absolutely bury Hamilton's lap time and just got too carried away. How much pressure will there be on Red Bull to avoid a penalty but also not end up making the same mistake Ferrari made with Leclerc at Monaco?! Seeing as no-one knows how easy overtaking will be they might think they can't risk having to fight through the pack after a gearbox change.
The only F1 race I’ve ever been too was the European GP at Donington – I could never justify the expense – and I hate Silverstone!! 😀😀
I was there for qualifying only as we couldn't afford a Sunday ticket let alone a weekend there. Watched the free practice session in the basket of the Sonic The Hedgehog hot air balloon at the bottom of the Craner Curves! Been to the Silverstone GP twice though since, last was in '07 and that was £200 for a grandstand ticket in Stowe B. Good for the experience but the total cost meant I've never been back.
* Also a member of the Donington '93 club, for Saturday. 🙂
He was 0.4s up on Hamilton with 1 corner to go
Did he know that?
If he does take a 5 place penalty then its really only a two place drop.
Perez, Gasly and Tsunoda ahead are unlikely to put up much of a fight, just LeClerc and Norris to deal with.
He was 0.4s up on Hamilton with 1 corner to go
Did he know that
I think I read that he did..it displayed on his steering wheel
Did he know that?
Yes, they have the delta on their dash so they knew exactly how much up our down they are.
He may have been showing his inexperience but I liked him for it. My favourite drivers are the ones that always push it to the limit all the time- one of the things I like about Hamilton
That really was one hell of a lap Verstappen was on. Almost felt a little bit sorry for him when he overcooked it - as much as I may dislike the alternative tactics being employed by Red Bull, that was a joy to watch. Right on the limit, on a track with zero margin for error. Tomorrow is going to be chaos 😆
But it’s easy to go fast, not so easy to go as quickly as is sensible.
I’m not sure Verstappen will ever learn - he was still trying to be Mr Big Dick when he didn’t need to - even without binning the car he should have been managing the engine rather than trying to be even quicker than he needed to be.
Was interesting to see Toto's reaction to verstappens crash. Either a good sportsman recognising a lost chance/waste of a great lap or brilliant acting/trolling.
I like to think the former.
Was interesting to see Toto’s reaction to verstappens crash. Either a good sportsman recognising a lost chance/waste of a great lap or brilliant acting/trolling.
I like to think the former.
I agree. One of the best things about this season is that there has been an unusually clear line between who are the good guys and who are the bad guys.
Probably going too far off topic, but Lisa Nandy contributes to the Mercedes/Kingspan debate
https://twitter.com/lisanandy/status/1466667442512580614?s=20
Go Lisa Nandy! Amazing stuff 👍
Is Ferrari running Philip Morris branding on their cars another bandwagon Nandy could attach herself to? ^^^
This seems to have slipped under the radar
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.autosport.com/f1/news/vettel-hosts-women-only-karting-race-in-saudi-arabia/6843239/amp/