Motorsport

AUSTRALIAN Grand Prix bosses are expected to announce that they are postponing F1’s season-opening race.
It is another huge blow to the sport after last year’s calendar was wrecked and redrawn due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The start of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 title defence looks set to be delayed Credit: Reuters

Somehow, F1 chiefs managed to get a 17-race season completed in 2020 but they had planned for a back-to-normal 23-race schedule for this year, kicking off in Melbourne on March 21.
However, Australia’s strict travel protocols, plus a fear of growing numbers of new coronavirus cases, particularly in the UK where seven of F1’s 10 teams are based, means organisers are looking to delay the race until later in the year.
It would be a blow for F1 and the Australian GP organisers after last year’s race was scrapped after a member of the McLaren team tested positive for COVID-19 the day before practice.
It resulted in F1 being forced to cancel the race and the season did not start until July at the Red Bull Ring.

Australia took strict actions to control the spread of the virus and closed their borders to non-citizens soon after the Albert Park race was cancelled last March.
Melbourne Airport was completely closed to incoming flights and any new arrivals are forced to spend two weeks in quarantine hotels as a precaution.
Those protocols are even tougher for the Australian Open tennis tournament that is due to go ahead in Melbourne from February 8.

The Victorian State Government has made it clear that the rules will not be broken to help the tennis star’s travel schedules.

And the same would apply to F1 drivers, teams and staff, who would be expected to spend up to three weeks placed in quarantine upon arrival.
Also, unlike the tennis tournament that is held in one venue, the Albert Park street circuit requires three months of construction work in advance.
And with that deadline looming, it has forced GP bosses to make an early decision on whether to delay the race until later in the year.

The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt

If the Melbourne race is delayed, it would mean the Bahrain Grand Prix that is scheduled for March 28 would be the 2021 season-opener.
A spokesperson for F1 told SunSport: “In 2020 we proved that we could return to racing safely and delivered what many thought was impossible in March.
“We have set out our 2021 calendar and look forward to the return of F1 in March this year.”

New Year Honours List 2021: Craig David to get MBE as Lewis Hamilton and Sally Dynevor also land gongs More

EVEN as he was rattling up an all-time record of Grand Prix victories, debate raged over whether Lewis Hamilton was truly appreciated in his homeland.
Now a knight of the realm and a two-time winner of the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, there should be few doubts that the Formula One world champion is admired and cherished in Britain.

Seven-time F1 title-winner Lewis Hamilton is the only Brit who has a serious claim to be the best ever in a truly global sportCredit: Reuters

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes is way out in front of the opposition but he earned the right to race it, as he’s the finest driver of his generationCredit: EPA

There is nothing begrudging about the awarding of Hamilton’s knighthood in the New Year Honours list.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has — rightly or wrongly — bent the rules to swerve the issues of Hamilton’s status as a resident of Monaco’s tax haven.
Hamilton, 35, has to be seriously  considered as Britain’s greatest ever sportsman due to the simple fact that he is the only one with a genuine claim of being the greatest of all time in any truly global sport.

The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt
That is without even considering he rose from a Hertfordshire council estate to become the first black F1 driver.

Hamilton’s 2020 was an extraordinary one — not only because he overtook Michael Schumacher’s record of 91  race victories and equalled the great German’s total of seven world titles.
This was the year when Hamilton truly found his voice as an outspoken advocate of greater diversity in a sport which has been slow to even recognise the issue.
He is still the only black man on the grid and has been defiant and fearless in highlighting the issue, as well as campaigning against racism in wider society.
It took time for him to grow into his role as a global spokesman but he has grasped the nettle and will not let go.

There will still be some dissenting voices about Hamilton becoming Sir Lewis — arguments about his tax status as well as groans about the uncompetitive nature of modern Formula One.
He was included on ‘the diplomatic and overseas’ section of the Honours list to circumvent the fact the taxman cannot fully probe his financial affairs.

Inspirational ex-Leeds Rhinos star Rob Burrow picks upan MBECredit: PA:Press Association
Yet most F1 drivers — who spend the  vast majority of the year globe-trotting as an occupational hazard — reside in tax havens and Hamilton does pay millions every year to the UK exchequer.
There is no doubt his outstanding Mercedes car makes him virtually invincible over the course of a season.
Yet there is also no argument that he earned the right to drive the fastest car as the most talented of his generation.
As his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said last night: “Lewis is one of the very greatest racing drivers of all-time and the most successful British sportsperson of his era.
“This year, he combined his excellence on the track with a powerful voice to fight discrimination.

While Sir Andy Murray contests tennis Grand Slams and Sir Alastair Cook bats for Essex, Hamilton has greater claims to his honour than any other current star.

“In every sense, he led the way in 2020. The news he is to receive a knighthood shows he is now receiving the recognition he has earned during a career of unparalleled success in motorsport.
“The UK can be very proud to have a champion and ambassador of the calibre of Sir Lewis Hamilton.”
Whether a sportsman should be knighted while he is still competing is another question.
Yet while Sir Andy Murray contests tennis Grand Slams and Sir Alastair Cook bats for Essex, Hamilton has greater claims to his honour than any other current star.
There will be no controversy over the MBE for inspirational former Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year and has campaigned to raise awareness of his illness.

Likewise, Bob Champion — who won the Grand National on Aldaniti in 1981 after recovering from cancer and has been steadfast in his charity work ever since — receiving a CBE.
Jimmy Greaves and Ron Flowers, the only living members of England’s 1966 World Cup-winning squad never to have been honoured, both earn MBEs.
Those awards are long overdue, though for Greaves — England’s greatest goalscorer and a hugely popular TV personality — the absence of a knighthood remains one of the strangest oversights in the murky honours system.

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LEWIS HAMILTON will be honoured with a knighthood as part of the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list.
This year, the Brit won the F1 championship for a record-equalling seventh time in while he also surpassed Michael Schumacher’s all-time win record of 91 victories.

Brit Lewis Hamilton is having his MBE upgraded to a knighthoodCredit: AFP

Seven-time F1 king Lewis Hamilton passed Michael Schumacher’s mark of 91 victories to become the sport’s greatest race-winnerCredit: Reuters

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff hailed team driver Lewis Hamilton as ‘the most successful British sportsperson of his era’Credit: PA:Press Association

The 35-year-old has been upgraded after he was awarded an MBE in 2008 for services to motor racing, while he has juggled his racing with raising awareness to equal rights, anti-racism and environmental causes.
Hamilton will join fellow motor-racing stars, Sir Stirling Moss, Sir Jackie Stewart and Sir Jack Brabham with knighthoods – as SunSport exclusively revealed he would back in November.
Williams founders Sir Frank Williams and Sir Patrick Head also had the honour bestowed upon them.

HAMILTON FACTFILE

HERE’S the full list of Lewis Hamilton’s F1 achievements

Drivers’ Titles 7Race Starts 266Race Wins 95 (35,7%)Pole Positions 98 (36,8%)Fastest Laps 53 (19,9%)Podiums 165 (62,0%)Points Finishes 229 (86,1%)Retirements 26 (9,8%)Hat-tricks 18Wins from pole 58Front Row Starts 158

The Stevenage-born racer won the title by 124 points and missed the penultimate race after being struck down with Covid-19.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said: “Lewis is one of the very greatest racing drivers of all time and the most successful British sportsperson of his era.
“Around the world, he has long been recognised for his sporting achievement; this year, he combined his excellence on the track with a powerful voice to fight discrimination.
“In every sense, he led the way in 2020.
“The news that he is to receive a knighthood shows that he is now receiving the recognition he has earned during a career of unparalleled success in motorsport.

“The UK can be very proud to have a champion and ambassador of the calibre of Sir Lewis Hamilton.”
Stefano Domenicali, the new CEO of F1, added: “Lewis is a true giant of our sport and his influence is huge both in and out of a car.

“What he has achieved is phenomenal with still more to come.
“All of us at Formula One congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition of his achievements and look forward to seeing more of his brilliance in 2021.”
Hamilton, whose current Mercedes contract expires on Thursday, is expected to put pen to paper on a two-year £40million a year deal.

Lewis Hamilton wins Sports Personality of the Year 2020 after passing F1 legend Michael Schumacher for most wins ever More

LEWIS HAMILTON will be knighted in the New Year Honours list after a personal request from Boris Johnson, it is reported. As The Sun exclusively revealed in November, the seven-time world champion, 35, is to be given the gong after his controversial tax affairs were deemed ‘all in order’. British PM Johnson was determined that […] More

F1 hopeful Emma Kimilainen has revealed that she once quit racing after her team told her to pose topless for a magazine.
The 31-year-old took a four-year hiatus from motorsport back in 2009 but has since become a star in the all-female W Series.

Emma Kimilainen has revealed she was once asked to pose toplessCredit: Getty Images – Getty

The W Series star has claimed the world was very different 10 years agoCredit: Instagram

And the Finnish driver has now lifted the lid on what almost drove her away from the sport for good.
Kimilainen has revealed her team had secured her a sponsor for the 2010 season that turned out to be a ‘high end men’s magazine’.
Speaking on the Shikaani Formula 1 Podcast, she admitted she walked away after being told her signing was dependent upon her posing topless.
As quoted by Portuguese outlet Record, she said: “A lot of things happened to me over my 28-year career.

I asked what was going on, until I realized that the partner was an erotic male magazine. I immediately refused
Emma Kimilainen

“I was preparing to perform on the team but I decided to ask for more details.
“They told me they had had some disagreements with the partner, they wanted pictures of me in a bikini and topless.
“I asked what was going on, until I realized that the partner was an erotic male magazine. I immediately refused.
“Today that proposal seems absurd and incorrect, but the world was very different 10 years ago with regard to women’s rights and equality in general.

“In competition there were girls with little clothes and women who showed a sexist image associated with the sex industry.
“I faced this with humor, as one of the crazy things that happened to me during these years.”
Kimilainen later took to Twitter to write: “I’m speechless of the amount of support. I’ll never be “the complainer” talking about “what if”s. My journey is still unfinished. Let’s race!”

Dont know what kind of truth serum I drank before the @shikaani podcast but it happened that I talked about things I’ve remained silent. Remaining silent is easier when you don’t want attention about things unrelated to your results and you don’t like drama. But here we are😅 1/6
— Emma Kimiläinen (@EmmaKimilainen) December 29, 2020

I’m speechless of the amount of support. 🙏 It’s incredibly hard to tell things like this because you don’t want them to affect negatively on your career. I’ll never be “the complainer” talking about “what if”s. My journey is still unfinished. Let’s race! https://t.co/NnH0gmVZDM
— Emma Kimiläinen (@EmmaKimilainen) December 29, 2020 More

JENSON BUTTON has welcomed a baby girl with fiancee Brittny Ward.
The Formula One legend, 40, revealed the news on Instagram with pictures of his partner and newborn daughter.

The couple became parents to a son, Hendrix, in 2019 and have now added daughter Lenny Monrow to their family.
Announcing their new arrival via his Instagram account, Button said: “Welcome Lenny Monrow Button.
“Mummy & Daddy are besotted already.
“She has the cutest little dimples like her big brother Hendrix.

“Britt is doing amazing and recovering well #babybutton.”
American model Ward, 30, announced the couple were expecting for a second time in June by posting an image of herself cradling her baby bump.
The ex-Playboy Playmate also kept her 300,000 Instagram followers updated with her progress, stripping off to display her growing bump in a black and white photo in October.
Button and Ward were forced to postpone their wedding for a second time in the summer due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Button and Ward got engaged in 2018 after two years of dating

Jenson Button and Brittny Ward previously welcomed son Hendrix in 2019

Hendrix’s surprise arrival in 2019 caused them to push back their original date.
Ward confirmed in May the pair’s nuptials will now take place in 2021.
The couple got engaged in 2018 after two years of dating.

Jenson Button’s ex-Playboy model fiancee Brittny Ward shows off growing baby bump at party More

MICK SCHUMACHER has hailed his dad Michael as the greatest of all time and admitted he’s OK with comparisons between the pair.
The 21-year-old is gearing up to follow in his father’s footsteps and make his Formula 1 debut next year.

Mick Schumacher is set to make his F1 debut next year

The German claimed his seven-time world champion father Michael is the nbest driverCredit: Getty – Contributor

Mick’s dad Michael is a seven-time world champion – tied with Lewis Hamilton who also beat his legendary 91-race win record.
Yet the German claimed his old man remains the best after insisting that he understands the constant comparisons with the 51-year-old.
He told Bild: “I’m OK with that; all the questions and comparisons with my father do not bother me.
“For me, he is the all-time best in this sport, to which he has given his all. I don’t see why I should disregard that.”

For me, he is the all-time best in this sport, to which he has given his all
Mick Schumacher on dad Michael

The Formula 1 season is set to start again in March and Mick, due to make his debut for Haas, admitted it will be a special moment for his family.
The Formula 2 champion added: “It will generally be a very special moment.”
It “will certainly be a very moving moment, but I want to stay focused on my objectives, my races and the work with the team.”
Schumacher Jr will partner fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin, the son of a Russian billionaire, who was confirmed at the start of the month.

The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt

Schumacher Sr suffered a severe head trauma in a skiing accident in 2013.
The legendary German driver is thought to be continuing his recovery at a luxury villa in Majorca but his close friend and ex-Ferrari chief Jean Todt suggested the 51-year-old may be conscious.
And SunSport recently revealed the expertise he passed on to his son Mick before his accident continues to be helpful.

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