F1

LEWIS HAMILTON has revealed he wants to be considered a ‘game changer’ in Formula 1 ahead of the upcoming season.The 35-year-old has spearheaded the sport’s ‘Race as One’ campaign over the past 12 months which aims to end racism in F1 and wider society.
Hamilton wants his legacy to be centred around his off-track impactCredit: Getty
The initiative will continue in 2021 and while Hamilton is seeking a record-breaking eighth world title, it is his off-track work that he wants to be remembered for.
“Game changer”, Hamilton told Sky Sports after being asked how he would like to be remembered.
“Or voice for equality. Something like that.”
He added: “I would argue that last year was the bravest [decision I’ve made in F1].”
Hamilton, the only black driver in F1, didn’t hold back last year about speaking about problems in the sport regarding diversity, and the world as a whole.
The Brit spearheaded drivers taking the knee before races – not something all of them did for various reasons.
He also regularly wore Black Lives Matter t-shirts and other slogans to bring attention to racial inequality.
Mercedes showed their support for their star driver, turning their usually silver car black – something that continues this year.
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Meanwhile, the British racing legend is looking to surpass Michael Schumacher by winning an eighth world title in 2021.
The upcoming campaign, which would be a fifth successive triumph for Hamilton if he can come out on top, begins in Bahrain this weekend.
And the Briton seems relaxed ahead of the first race of the season, posting a picture of himself as a child for his Instagram followers over the weekend.
Alongside the photo, he added a caption: “Mans garms were fresh since day 1.”
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Hamilton posted an incredibly cute picture of him as a young boyCredit: https://www.instagram.com/lewishamilton/

Hamilton recently signed a new £40million one-year deal with Mercedes.
The team struggled in the pre-season testing as the likes of Red Bull showed a real improvement.
But Hamilton remains unfazed by that and is happy for his rivals to be tipped for the title.
He said: “They can be favourites if they want. I mean, they’re looking strong. I don’t really focus on that kind of stuff and they’ve had some really good running.
“Both the drivers have been looking quite strong.
“They’re going to be a different machine or animal this year with a really good, strong line-up for two drivers and a really good car.”

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Red Bull’s Max Verstappen topped the final day of testing earlier this month while Hamilton finished in fifthCredit: AFP
“They can be favourites if they want. I mean, they’re looking strong. I don’t really focus on that kind of stuff and they’ve had some really good running.
“Both the drivers have been looking quite strong.
“They’re going to be a different machine or animal this year with a really good, strong line-up for two drivers and a really good car.”
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VALTTERI BOTTAS has revealed he nearly QUIT Formula One after the infamous Sochi Grand Prix in 2018.That season, Lewis Hamilton – the Finn’s Mercedes team-mate – was locked in a fierce tussle for the World Championship title with then-Ferrari star Sebastian Vettel.
Bottas revealed he nearly quit F1 after Mercedes ordered he let Hamilton pass him at Sochi in 2018Credit: Getty – Contributor
With Bottas leading the race in Russia, Mercedes chiefs popped up on the radio to ask him to move aside to allow Hamilton through.
While Bottas obeyed the controversial team order, he has now revealed it led to him considering his future in the sport – with the Finn almost retiring there and then.
Speaking on Netflix’s ‘Drive to Survive’, Bottas revealed: “Sochi 2018, that was a pretty tough race.
“It was tough to accept. I was pretty angry.
“Honestly I was thinking ‘Why do I do this?’
“I was thinking of quitting [F1], of giving up.
“Straight after the race, I said I would not do it again.”
Immediately after the race, Bottas was seemingly forgiving of Mercedes’ decision.
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At the time, he acknowledged: “Lewis is fighting for the drivers’ championship and I’m not.
“From the team’s point of view it was the ideal result today. Maybe not ideal for me but for the team, yes.”
Even Hamilton claimed it was not a win he was proud of – even though it helped him go on to seal the 2018 crown.
After the race in Russia, Hamilton said: “It is definitely a win on my list of wins that I am least proud of.
“The strangest day I can remember in my career. I want to win the right way.
“As racing drivers we exist to win; if you tell us we can’t, it is like you are taking our life away.
“I would never wish it on someone else and I would never ask for it ever.
“I made sure in a meeting that they knew this is not how I want to win.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff continued by calling it a ‘harsh reality’ of F1.
Hamilton went on to win the race, with Bottas left mulling over his futureCredit: Reuters
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Wolff said: “It’s deflating for drivers and for a team but there is a harsh reality also.
“On a day like this you can extend the lead by seven points more in a championship that has been very tough and difficult at times, so you have to take it.”
Bottas would ultimately finish the season in fifth – just four points off third, with the win in Sochi enough to have seen him end up in the top three.
In the same episode of Drive To Survive, Bottas revealed he is fighting to be an equal member of the Mercedes team and not just a ‘No2’.
Bottas added: “If your team-mate wins and you are second, you feel like you lose.
“I know I’ve been second in the past, but I want to prove I’m not just a No2.
“In the team, even though many wouldn’t admit it, maybe unconsciously they have a No1 and No2.
“Sometimes the team members had to question themselves: ‘Are we giving equal treatment to Lewis and Valtteri?’”
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LEWIS HAMILTON will know when the time is right to quit Formula One – and when he does he will stop racing for good.That’s the view of former McLaren driver David Coulthard, who left F1 in 2008 after 15 years in the sport.
Lewis Hamilton could be entering his final year in Formula OneCredit: Splash
David Coulthard has told SunSport that drivers always know the right time to leave F1Credit: Reuters
Eyebrows were raised when Hamilton, 36, agreed just a 10-month deal with Mercedes when he was expected to sign for at least two more years.
The short-term contract, followed by the world champion’s miserable pre-season test last weekend in Bahrain, has raised question marks over whether he will leave F1 at the end of this year, when new rules will come in for the 2022 season.
Coulthard, who will be on Channel 4’s coverage at the season opener in Bahrain on March 27th and 28th, said: “If he truly believed it was time [to quit now], he would not have been in Bahrain for pre-season testing.
“I think he has got inner peace and if he had that feeling, we would have had that announcement he was leaving.
“But when he does decide that’s it, I don’t believe he will drive one more lap in a racing car. I very much doubt you will see him rocking up at Le Mans or anything like that.
“You know when to quit when you wake up one day, or even after a lap. Niki Lauda who knew during a lap in Canada, or James Hunt, who walked away midseason.
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“In my case, I got the realisation at the beginning of 2008 pre-season test. I jumped in the car with hopes and desires that we’d made a big step forward and it just didn’t feel like it.
“Having had 14 previous seasons and known how long it takes to develop a car, that was the time I thought it was not going to be a winning year.
“I remember Mark Webber asking me how I knew when it was enough. I knew it was time for him to stop having asked me the question.
“It is like any relationship, you just knew in your heart that it is the right time. You just know.”
Hamilton is going in search of an eighth world title this season, which would move him clear of the joint-record he currently holds with Michael Schumacher.
And while judging from the pre-season test he appears on the back foot, Coulthard says the Brit is capable of springing a surprise in Bahrain.
I don’t doubt for one moment that, if he has a sniff of performance, then he would not be the man who can deliver it.David Coulthard
Coulthard believes Hamilton cannot be ruled out after a poor pre-seasonCredit: Getty
He added: “I was reading all the reviews of testing but you will find out where you are when you get to the first race weekend.
“Now of course, you get an indication about reliability and general form from testing but nothing you could go to the bookies with.
“So, what do I think? It clearly was not a smooth few days as they would have liked and may well have ticked a nerve.
“But we have to remember as well, this is not his first pre-season rodeo.
“He has done it all before and, depending on his mood, will depend on if he engages with the media.
“It has been an unusual route to this point in terms of the contract being so late in being announced.
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“But I don’t think with Lewis you can use historical trend. He is very much his own man and at this stage at his career where he has found a way of operating.
“I don’t doubt for one moment that if he has a sniff of performance then he would not be the man who can deliver it.
“Just when you think he’s down, he bounced back, a bit like Muhammad Ali when he was doing the old rope-a-dope. He’s not as easy to read as the others.”
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