F1

LEWIS HAMILTON has rubbished suggestions his new Mercedes deal has hit a snag due to F1’s proposed salary cap.
F1 bosses met last Monday where they raised the idea of limiting drivers’ wages to £23million a year.

Lewis Hamilton made history with his record-breaking 92nd win at the Portuguese Grand PrixCredit: Reuters

The motion has been waved through to the next agenda however, Hamilton, who is yet to sign his new deal – worth around £40million a year – says the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association should have their say.
Hamilton, who has a 77 point lead in the championship but cannot win the title in this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna GP, was quizzed if the delay in signing his new deal was due to the suggested salary freeze.
He said: “It has nothing to do with it. I did not know it was being discussed. From a drivers’ point of view, it was a surprise to us.
“We heard of the idea a while ago, maybe last year in France, but it is the first we heard of it this week.

“So I think it is important the GPDA work closely with Formula One to get in to discussions moving forwards.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also supported his driver in quizzing whether it was right to limit drivers’ wages.
And Wolff believes that drivers should be included as part of the discussions as their wages reflect their worth to their teams.
He added: “The discussion around this topic is an emotional one.

“Formula One teams, in order to be sustainable long term and to be successful sport franchises, need to show profitability like any company. We all need to achieve that.
“On the other side, it is clear that drivers in Formula One are the best in the world and should earn high salaries like all the other top stars in sport.
“The day those salaries are limited or their income is limited to what they are getting from the team, because the scope of promoting the brand is very limited…
“So that is why it will be interesting to do a deal with the representatives of the drivers and the drivers can say how can we align ourselves that everyone is benefitting from the rules.
“US sports have done it without really harming future earnings of the drivers.”
Wolff, whose team can win the constructors’ title for a seventh successive year this weekend, also said he was happy to hold off contract talks with Hamilton, through fear of “contaminating” him with covid.
He said: “The truth is there is a lot of trust between us and we keep on saying we must find a day.
“But the championship is more important and I completely understand that Lewis wants to concentrate on that.

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

Lewis Hamilton’s new deal is worth around £40million per year Credit: Splash News
“It seems that we have to get that done to find the time but I don’t want to contaminate either of the drivers with covid.
“If you spend so much time together the worst would be they could miss a race or more.”
Meanwhile, Lando Norris sent a private apology to Hamilton after initially being dismissive of the fellow Brit’s landmark 92nd win.
Last weekend when he was quizzed about Hamilton’s new win’s record, Norris said: “It doesn’t mean anything to me, really. He’s in a car which should win every race, basically”.
He later said sorry to the world champion and added: “I didn’t choose the right words to put it into context.

“I apologised [on Twitter] but I also apologised to Lewis himself, I messaged him.
“I don’t know if he knew about it at the time but I never meant to say something like that in a bad way or put any bad light on him at all.
“I respect everything he’s done to achieve what he’s done.”

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DANIEL RICCIARDO admits Lewis Hamilton’s fight to end racism has been eye-opening – and he admires the Brit’s bravery.
Hamilton is battling to make F1 more diverse and Ricciardo says the six-time world champion’s actions have led to drivers discussing the issue for the first time ever.

Lewis Hamilton has been praised for his bravery in his fight to end racismCredit: Getty

Daniel Ricciardo admits his F1 rival’s actions have been eye-opening and inspiringCredit: Getty

Speaking to SunSport, Ricciardo said: “I think he’s done a really good job and put himself out there.
“That’s the thing, everyone probably has thoughts or ideas in their head but not everyone lets them out and speaks their mind, because of fear and criticism.
“I think he’s been really good to push it and to be vocal and to encourage drivers or members in the paddock to speak up or to try to educate themselves.
“Which I have done and it’s been really cool. Especially when it all kind of first started I was like ‘Man, how don’t I know this and how could I be so ignorant?'”

Ricciardo, 31, added: “We’ve discussed it in driver briefings, to try and find ways to be more inclusive. And we’ve never really talked about it and again kind of due to a bit of ignorance, I never realised the whole paddock was white.
“It’s never been something I have kind of noticed, but when it’s actually put in front of you, you’re like ‘wow’. It’s kinda crazy.”
Meanwhile, Ricciardo is feeling at the peak of his powers as he’s fourth in the standings, with 2016 being the last time he was above fourth place.

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

The Aussie is behind the Mercedes duo of Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, as well as Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

And with only five races remaining, the Renault driver is determined to hold his position to become the best of the rest.
He added: “If I could remain fourth, it would wrap up a phenomenal season.
“There’s no prizes for fourth, but it’s a nice morale victory for sure.
“Obviously Mercedes and Max [Verstappen] they’ve been the untouchable top three all year, so to be the next best guy above that would serve me pretty well.”
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MAX VERSTAPPEN claims he did not mean to offend TV viewers with his controversial comments towards fellow racer Lance Stroll.
The two collided in the Portuguese GP last weekend.

Max Verstappen says he meant no offence to TV viewers with his controversial remarks about Lance StrollCredit: Getty

The Red Bull man blasted the Canadian over the team’s radio calling him a ‘retard’ and a ‘mongol’.
The politically incorrect terms went unpunished by the FIA but fans were quick to condemn the Dutchman on social media.
And speaking ahead of this weekend’s race in San Marino, while stopping short of a full retraction, Verstappen did apologise for causing offence.
He said: “First of all, I never intended to offend anyone. That’s not what I wanted.

“It happened in the heat of the moment and when you are driving at those speeds things like that can happen.
“I don’t say that the words I chose were the right ones, I also know they are not correct and I never meant to offend anyone with that.”
Verstappen says he was also quick to clear the air with Stroll after this collision in Portimao, where he finished in third place.
He added: “Of course I was swearing at Lance but I saw him straight away after and that’s what racing drivers are as well.

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

“We can be angry at each other and then after five minutes when we talk to each other and when we look each other in the eyes, it is forgotten.
“So sometimes things get a bit heated up from the outside world.
“I never meant to hurt anyone in particular, so I don’t think they need to make it bigger than it is.”

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