F1

LEWIS HAMILTON has arrived in Abu Dhabi ahead of the Grand Prix in a stunning all-purple outfit.The British racer pulled off the unique look as he arrived at the paddock for the media day ahead of the last race of the Formula 1 season.
Lewis Hamilton arrived for media day ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in his interesting purple outfitCredit: Getty
The British driver will be hoping for a positive end to the seasonCredit: Getty
Fans however did poke a bit of fun at the seven-time World Champion on social media.
One said: “Man looks like a Quality Street but to be fair behind the wheel he’s always quality.”
A second added: “Stylish pajamas.”
A third commented: “Lewis is a supermodel he deserves that much attention, and it suits him well as always. The trousers may be a little bit too long. I hope he doesn’t trip over it.”
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Hamilton will be hoping to end this season on a high and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix would be a great place to do it after last year’s dramatic finale against Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at the same track.
The Mercedes driver was aiming for his eighth title but he was locked on 369.5 points with Verstappen after a thrillingly contested season between the two.
The Dutch driver had taken pole position in qualifying, but it was Hamilton that led through the first corner once the race started.
But on Turn Six, Verstappen took his car up the inside of the Mercedes, forcing Hamilton into the run-off to maintain his lead.
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Red Bull complained to F1’s governing FIA and race director, Michael Masi, but race stewards believed that it was not necessary for an investigation.
However, Verstappen was handed a lifeline as Williams driver Nicholas Latifi crashed into the barriers on Lap 50 of 58, causing a Safety Car to be brought onto the track.
This meant that Mercedes had to choose between pitting Hamilton and putting on fresh tyres, but this would be risking ending the race behind the Safety Car.
By not pitting Hamilton, Mercedes chose to keep the lead, but knew Verstappen, who had pitted, would be chasing him down on newer soft rubber tyres.
But they did not think that the race would be restarted in time due to the regulations on restarts and the cars that had been lapped.
On lap 56 there were five lapped cars between the two World Championship hopefuls, and the message “lapped cars will not be allowed to overtake” was communicated from Race Control.
However, in the penultimate lap, there was a massive change of heart as the five cars between the two title contenders were now instructed to overtake.
Following this, it was announced that the race would restart for a winner-takes-all 58th and final lap between Verstappen and Hamilton.
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On older tyres Hamilton did his best to try and hold off the Red Bull, but he was overtaken on Turn Five.
He did try to get the spot back as he had more straight-line speed, but it was not enough to stop Verstappen from claiming his first World Championship.
Fans were divided over Hamilton’s purple outfit, with some comparing him to a Quality StreetCredit: Reuters
Others loved the ensembleCredit: Reuters More

LEWIS HAMILTON has made a bold claim about his infamous 2021 title loss and dismissed suggestions it was similar to his 2008 triumph. In the last race of last season’s F1 championship, Hamilton was overtaken on the final lap of the race by Max Verstappen, giving the Dutchman his first driver’s crown.
Verstappen and Hamilton’s rivalry returned to the forefront in Brazil after the two collided againCredit: Splash
But the race remains mired in controversy over the incorrect administering of the rules which affected the outcome.
The moment is only matched in drama by Hamilton’s initial F1 title in 2008.
On that occasion the Brit had to deal with a late downpour in Brazil and only won the title after a last lap overtake on Timo Glock, allowing him to scramble up into fifth and gain enough points for victory.
But the seven-times World Champion has denied any similarity between the two historic moments – as only one was “manipulated”.
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Speaking to Glock, now a pundit for Sky Sports Germany, ahead of this year’s race in Brazil, Hamilton said: “No, it was different, it was different because this one [2008] wasn’t manipulated by anybody.
“Someone made a decision for that result to be the way it was basically.
“There are similarities in kind of the pain of losing in 2007. For the last 17 seconds losing that championship or the last three laps, I’d lost it basically.  And then coming across the line for another 17 seconds or whatever it was beyond, still having lost the championship.
“Similar kind of horrible feeling in your heart and in your spirit. I’m so so grateful for it because it was a real proof that for anybody out there when you are facing adversity, just to never give up, keep pushing, keep chasing, keep going.
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“Miracles do happen. And that was really a miracle moment for me.”
Hamilton’s comments recalling last year’s title race was fitting given what followed at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix.
The 37-year-old was once again locking horns with his old title rival Verstappen after a season of the two mostly avoiding each other on-track.
Shortly after a safety car period, the two came together and both sustained damage after a turn 2 crash.
Hamilton still managed to make it home second-place behind his victorious teammate George Russell.
While Verstappen sparked a big backlash when he refused to give up his position of sixth for his teammate Sergio Perez. More

LEWIS HAMILTON is confident his working relationship will thrive with George Russell in 2023. The Mercedes team-mates have endured a tough season after being dealt with an underperforming car in the first half of this season.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell celebrated Mercedes’ first race win of the season in BrazilCredit: EPA
However, a recent upturn in form led to Russell landing his team’s first race win of the year – and the first of his career – in Brazil on Sunday.
Hamilton, 37, has just one chance left to end his barren run – he has claimed at least one chequered flag in all of his seasons in F1.
But after seeing his fellow Brit claim victory at the weekend as he finished second, Hamilton believes the pair will cope with future problems.
The seven-time world champion said: “I’m a lot older and I’ve been with the team so long.
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“So managing whatever challenges we come up with moving forward, we’ve been through so much that I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.”
Hamilton added: “I’ve seen what he did at Williams.
“I think naturally you have to say it’s impressive what he’s done this year, the consistency he’s had, how he’s arrived and just hit the ground running.
“It’s not like he arrived in a completely brand new team.
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“The previous couple of years he was sitting right behind me watching the work that I was doing with the engineers, with Riki (Riccardo Musconi), who is now his number one.
“It’s been super easy to blend in.
“He uses my steering wheel, and he’s obviously got to do the test days prior to the year, so I think he’s just blended in perfectly and he’s been a positive force in the team.
“He’s helped keep the equilibrium in the team, in terms of the working relationship I think it’s strong.”
Russell, 24, enjoyed a perfect weekend as he claimed the victory in the sprint and also the fastest lap.
TEARS OF JOY
It was an emotional weekend for the King’s Lynn ace who was in tears within seconds of crossing the line in Sao Paulo.
Reflecting on his first year in the Mercedes car, Russell said: “In some ways I’ve felt like a bit of a rookie this year because the level at which this team operates on is a level that I’ve never experienced before, and I’m talking about things that I’d never even heard of in F1 before.
“That took me some time to learn and understand how to get the most out of the team, out of the car.
“The capability within this team is huge and the potential is huge, and learning to use all the resources at our disposal to bring more performance, is a lot more than I’ve ever been used to and it took me a little bit of a while to wrap my head around that.”
Russell and Hamilton go to Abu Dhabi for the final race of the 2022 season hopeful of overtaking Ferrari into second in the constructors’ championship.
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Russell is fourth in the driver standings, 25 points behind Charles Leclerc and Sergio Perez who are tied on 290.
Another race win and fastest lap would see the Brit overtake the Ferrari and Red Bull men into second if they both fail to pick up any points. More