Motorsport

LEWIS HAMILTON’S proving a dedicated follower of fashion and hopes his ‘daring’ outfits in the paddock help open up people’s minds.The Brit, 36, is no stranger to wearing bold clothes when he arrives at Grands Prix and is free from wearing team-branded gear.
Lewis Hamilton wore a ‘daring’ blue kilt and matching jacket in Turkey as he aims to inspire others to be more tolerantCredit: Alamy
Lewis Hamilton arrived at the Turkish GP in the Burberry ensemble – the latest in a long line of ‘daring’ outfitsCredit: Splash
Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to wearing bold outfits, seen here arriving for the Italian GP in Monza in an oversized white jacket and chunky gold necklaceCredit: Splash
Lewis Hamilton turned up to the Dutch GP in an entirely orange ensemble – in a nod to Holland’s national colourCredit: Reuters
Ahead of the Turkish GP, Hamilton was dressed in a blue kilt, matching trousers and jacket.
His outfits clearly split opinions but he is hoping the radical designs result in others being more tolerant of each other.
When quizzed about his kilt, he said: “It’s quite daring. I really like what Burberry is doing, and I just love the outfit.
“I go through all these different images online and find things that I like.
“I did a shoot with GQ a couple years ago with a kilt, and it was one that we specially made with Tommy Hilfiger, which was again just gender neutral.
“Anyone can wear whatever they want. There will be people that don’t understand it, but that’s OK.

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“Hopefully they’ll eventually go through the opening of their mind phase and let people be who they want to be.”
Hamilton has designed his own range of clothes in the past with Tommy Hilfiger, who also sponsors his Mercedes F1 team.
And the Brit attended the Met Gala, buying a table to showcase young black fashion designers.
He arrived in Istanbul after a trip to Paris Fashion Week and says he loves the contrast with his corporate F1 life, because the fashion keeps his mind fresh when he is away from the race track.
He added: “It’s a much different world to F1. F1’s obviously not focused on that and it’s obviously very corporate. There is no fashion, actually, in F1.
“I always felt like it was always a place where it wasn’t easy to be yourself.
“And when I went to a fashion show, when you’re in a fashion week for example, you’re surrounded by people from all different walks of life, expressing themselves in different ways.
“I love that environment where I’m able to be able to express myself. I now do that on the racetrack. And I feel free to be able to do so.
“I love being able to separate from the sport, and the intensity of this whole season is difficult for everyone that’s at the track.
“So to be able to have something else, another outlet, that you can focus on helps take the weight off it.
“So when I come back, it always feels fresh when I come to a GP, because it’s not something I’ve been thinking about every single day.”
Hamilton risks being sent to the back of the grid for Sunday’s race owing to a penalty for taking a new engine.
Lewis Hamilton isn’t afraid of turning heads with his colourful outfitsCredit: AP

However, he was staying tight-lipped about the grid drop as he looked to protect his two-point lead over Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.
He said: “At the moment, I still have [engine] No2 and No3. I don’t envision us having to take one at the moment, but that could change.”
Meanwhile, ice cool Verstappen is chilled out about his title fight – despite the flash-points and pressure from Hamilton.
He said: “I always do my best and I know that the team is also doing the best they can.
“If that’s going to be at the end of the year first, that’s of course an amazing achievement and that’s what we work for, right?
“But even if we would finish second, I think we still would have had a great season. And at the end of the day, it’s not really going to change my life.
“I enjoy what I’m doing and I think that’s also very important. So for me, there is not much to worry about, really.”
Red Bull chiefs expect Lewis Hamilton to be pushed to back of grid More

FORMULA ONE have been forced to replace the medical car crew for this weekend’s Turkish GP after both tested positive for coronavirus.The dynamic duo of driver Alan van der Merwe and doctor Ian Roberts have been stalwarts in the role and famously helped save Romain Grosjean from his fiery crash in Bahrain.
Williams driver Nicholas Latifi (middle) walks the track with two members of his team
Both failed a pre-event test ahead of the race in Istanbul and the FIA have confirmed they will sit out this weekend’s GP.
An FIA spokesman said: “[Both] tested positive for COVID-19 prior to travelling and are therefore self-isolating and will not attend the 2021 FIA Formula Turkish Grand Prix.
“They will be replaced at this event by FIA Formula E World Championship Safety Car Driver, Bruno Correia, and Medical Delegate, Dr Bruno Franceschini, respectively.”
F1 has mostly escaped the effects of Covid-19 this season though some drivers have caught the virus.
Lewis Hamilton is one such driver, and he has spoken openly about the impact long Covid has had on his body.
But ahead of the Turkish Grand Prix he is raring to go according to team manager Toto Wolff.

The Mercedes chief is prepared to battle Red Bull and Max Verstappen and fight for every available point.
But Hamilton faces an uphill struggle as he is set to start in last place on the grid after taking on a new engine.
The Brit currently leads his rival by two points in the overall standings. More

DAVID BECKHAM is ready to swap football for Formula 1 as he wants to be involved in Miami’s debut race. Becks, 46, owns MLS side Inter Miami who were founded just as the Florida city was announced as a Grand Prix next season. 
Formula One announced the Miami GP will be added to next year’s calendar
The track will encircle NFL side Miami Dolphins’ stadium
The former Manchester United winger is a big fan of F1 and has struck up a close relationship with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
And the former Manchester United winger has been in touch with the GP’s organisers as he is keen to be involved. 
Managing partner of the Miami GP Tom Garfunkel explained: “It’s kind of a funny story – David and I have a mutual friend who called and said David wants to meet you and wants to get involved in the Formula 1 race.
“So we had dinner last week. David is very keen to come out to the event. He’s very excited about coming to Miami for the F1 race.
“We’ve gotten a lot of calls from different celebrities, friends, wealthy people and powerful people who all are expressing a lot of interest to come.
“I would expect a large degree of celebrity attendance coming from all over the world for this event. There is a big celebrity culture in Miami.”
David Beckham meets Lewis Hamilton at the Bahrain Grand PrixCredit: Motorsport Images/IMP Features

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The street-based track will encircle the home of NFL team Miami Dolphins and will be held in May 2022. 
And Garfunkel – who is also president and CEO of the Dolphins – added: “You can walk around the top of the stadium and see every corner of the race track. To have vistas of every turn of the track is really unique.
“We certainly hope to create an event that becomes a destination for F1 fans around the world. 
“When we roll out in early November there will be a lot of different ways to experience this event that are not traditional.
“It will be a campus, a Disneyland if you will, of different things to do and different things to experience whether that’s for families, for 25-year-olds that want to have a party and have a DJ, for corporate America to entertain clients and for hardcore F1 fans.”
Red Bull chiefs expect Lewis Hamilton to be pushed to back of grid More

LEWIS HAMILTON is poised to start Sunday’s Turkish Grand Prix from the BACK of the grid due to an engine penalty.The world champion has a two-point advantage over Max Verstappen but is set for a new power unit, triggering a host of penalties.
Hamilton is poised to start back of the grip at the Turkish GPCredit: GETTY IMAGES
F1 drivers are allowed to use three engines over the duration of the 22-race season. Any additional power units come with sanctions.
Hamilton has already used his allocation and his Mercedes team are now weighing up whether to introduce a new one for the remaining seven races.
Boss Toto Wolff was quizzed about the new engine after Red Bull did the same to Max Verstappen in the Russian GP.
Wolff said: “It’s a possibility. When, and how, is not yet decided.
“Most important is that you don’t DNF because of a reliability issue.
“You can cope with swings, whether you finish second, third, I think that is OK, the championship is going to go long. But if you don’t finish…

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“So we are looking at the parameters of the engines, making sure we don’t suffer from any reliability problems.”
Meanwhile, Hamilton will announce today that his foundation is partnering with Teach First.
The seven time world champion has launched his Mission 44 project to increase the amount of black students taking science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM subjects) at advanced level.
The initial two-year partnership aims to pilot a range of new approaches to identify best practises when recruiting black STEM teachers to work in schools serving disadvantaged communities in England.
Hamilton said: “I am incredibly proud to be announcing the first partnership from Mission 44. 
“Our work with Teach First is another step towards addressing barriers preventing young black students’ engagement with STEM, as identified in The Hamilton Commission report. 

🏁 F1 2021 calendar: practice times, dates and racetrack info
“We know representation and role models are important across all aspects of society, but especially when it comes to supporting young people’s development. 
“By establishing this partnership, which focuses on identifying the best way to attract black talent to STEM teaching roles, we hope to create a framework the wider education industry can implement. 
“It’s our hope other organisations recruiting teachers will support and join us on our mission to see more diversity in the classroom.”

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