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      Lewis Hamilton drops F1 retirement hint saying it ‘won’t be long’ until he quits – but confirms he will race in 2021

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has sensationally hinted that he could retire – as he looks to break Michael Schumacher’s Formula One race win record today.
      The Brit can overtake German legend Schumacher’s race win record if he takes victory at the Portugal Grand Prix.

      Lewis Hamilton can break Michael Schumacher’s F1 win record with victory today in PortugalCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      But he has confirmed he will race in 2021 when he could potentially also become the most successful F1 racer ever with an eighth world title.
      He levelled the race win record last time out when he notched his 91st chequered flag at the Eifel Grand Prix.
      If he wins the F1 title this season he will seal a seventh world crown and match Schuey’s incredible feat.
      But the Brit has now hinted that he could be ready to pack it all in at the age of 35.

      Hamilton exclusively told Sky Sports: “I still want to continue to race but I don’t know how much longer it will be.
      “It’s definitely not going to be a long time before I stop, so this is a period of time where I’ve got to slowly work out what the future holds.”
      Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas has already agreed a new deal to stay with the German giants.
      But both Hamilton and team chief Toto Wolff have not penned new deals.

      The Hertfordshire racer reckons talks will begin when the season ends.

      The ten greatest F1 drivers of all-time – according to SunSport’s motorsport correspondent Ben Hunt
      Hamilton, who won a sixth world crown last year, currently earns a reported £42million a year but this figure is expected to be slashed due to the Covid crisis.
      He said: “I guess at some stage we have to sit down and have the conversation but it’s not a priority right now. Getting the job done this year, for me personally, is the priority.
      “That’s what I’m solely focused on right now. When the time’s right we’ll do it and get on with it.”
      On his ability to win more titles, he said: “I don’t think I’m at my peak. I’m in a good area, for sure.

      “It’s bright, whatever I decide to do, but it also has to be aligned with the times, it has to be aligned with my values and it has to be aligned with what the team is planning to do.
      “All I can say is that I plan to be here next year.”
      Hamilton will start on pole position on Portimao’s F1 debut as he targets a record 92nd Grand Prix triumph.

      Lewis Hamilton releases album about drinking too much, sleeping with women and having his heart broken More

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      F1 Portuguese Grand Prix 2020: UK start time, live stream, TV channel, race schedule for the Algarve

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      LEWIS HAMILTON continues his quest for a seventh world title as F1 continues in Portugal this weekend.
      The Brit star was back on top of the podium as he dominated at the Eifel Grand Prix, giving him a 69-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas.

      Mercedes are hoping to dominate once again in PortugalCredit: Reuters

      Bottas was fastest in practice yesterday, with Hamilton back in eighth and Max Verstappen impressing in the Red Bull.
      When is the F1 Portuguese Grand Prix?
      The F1 Portuguese Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, October 25.
      The race action will commence at 1.10pm.
      What TV channel is the Portuguese Grand Prix on and can I live stream it?
      You can catch all of the weekend’s drama live on Sky Sports F1.
      Coverage of qualifying begins at 1pm.
      If you’re not a Sky subscriber, grab a NOW TV pass to stream from just £9.99.
      You can also catch qualifying highlights on Channel 4 at 5.30pm tonight,

      Race schedule
      Friday, October 23
      Practice 1 – 11am to 12.30pm
      Practice 2 – 3pm to 4.30pm
      Saturday, October 24
      Practice 3 – 11am to midday
      Qualifying – 2pm to 3pm
      Sunday, October 25
      Race – 1.10pm More

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      Lewis Hamilton admits he ‘drove the nuts off’ his Mercedes to seal historic Portuguese GP pole as team dominate again

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      LEWIS HAMILTON “drove the nuts off” his Mercedes and will start his attempt to become F1’s most successful driver from pole position.
      The world champion is going in search of his 92nd win in Sunday’s Portuguese GP to move clear of the joint-record he holds with Michael Schumacher.

      Lewis Hamilton will start from the front of the grid for the 97th timeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The reigning world champion in action during qualifying for the Portugal GPCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Hamilton left it late, as he gazumped Valtteri Bottas once again – leaving the Finn feeling sick of the sight of his teammate.
      Hamilton decided to string together three late flying laps and was 0.102seconds quicker than Bottas, who had until then topped every single session in Portimao.
      Hamilton said: “I can’t tell you how hard that was. Yes, we’ve got a great car but you have to drive the nuts off of it to pull out a lap.
      “Valtteri’s been so quick this weekend, he’s topped every session but at the end, I chose to do three laps to give me a chance at beating his time.

      “That last lap, it got better and better as I went through it. I don’t have anything to hide. I was not holding anything back.
      “It is like building a wall. You take one brick and then it is the next one and the next one. It is a lot of hard work and fine tuning to get the perfect setting.
      “It doesn’t come easy and I have been pushing all weekend and Valtteri had always been at the top, so I just had to continue to did and I knew that eventually I would get there.”
      As for Bottas, who took pole last out in Germany only to see Hamilton win the race, he says he is fed up with losing out to the six-time world champion.

      Yes, we’ve got a great car but you have to drive the nuts off of it to pull out a lap
      Lewis Hamilton

      He added: “It is annoying, it’s very annoying.
      “But practice sessions, being at the top, it doesn’t matter anyway. Always I try to reset from each session and focus on the coming one.
      “Especially after the final practice, you need to reset and take all the learnings you can from the practice to do things even better.
      “But knowing that you have the pace, yeah it’s annoying but that’s how it is and I need to quickly forget that.”
      The qualifying session was delayed 30 minutes after a drain cover worked loose during final practice, striking Sebastian Vettel’s Ferrari.
      Marshals and FIA officials needed to inspect the other drain covers to ensure there would not be a repeat of the danger.
      The German qualified a lowly 15th while his teammate, Charles Leclerc, will start in P4 behind Red Bull’s Max Verstappen.

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

      And Vettel, who is leaving the team at the end of the season, says Leclerc is “in a different class” to him at the moment.
      In an honest assessment, the four-time world champ said: “It’s not just a beating, it’s like a different class.
      “I try everything I can. I think the laps I hit, and I’m satisfied with them, are still too slow. At the moment there is nothing more I can do than to get what I have inside me.”

      Michael Schumacher’s son Mick hands Lewis Hamilton one of his dad’s old helmets as Brit equals legend’s GP win record More

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      F1 Portuguese Grand Prix qualifying LIVE RESULT: Hamilton edges Bottas to secure pole in delayed session

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      THE F1 season is in Portugal – and today qualifying is on the agenda.
      Lewis Hamilton has control of the Driver’s Championship after victory in Germany last weekend, but Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas will be out for revenge.

      Follow all the latest from Portugal with our blog below…

      HAMILTON’S REACTION
      Just a tenth separated Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
      Hamilton starts from pole position tomorrow, the 97th of his career, speaking after qualifying Hamilton said: “I can’t tell you how hard that was today!
      “I’ve just seen that Valtteri topped every session, and I’ve just been digging to find the time.
      “I chose to do three laps laps to have a chance to beat his time”

      POLE POSITION

      AND NOW HAMILTON TAKES IT…
      He is in P1 that is his 9th pole of the season.
      The 97th pole of his career.
      A perfect lap.
      Bottas in P2, Verstappen in P3 and Leclerc in P4.

      BOTTAS SNATCHES POLE BACK
      He puts in an excellent lap that is 0.180 seconds quicker than his teammate.

      HAMILTON NOW GOES QUICKEST
      Can Bottas get back at him?

      ALBON NOT IMPRESSING HERE
      The Red Bull man only goes seventh quickest – and that lap time will be deleted too for exceeding track limits.

      BOTTAS TAKES PROVISIONAL POLE
      But the gap is just 0.047 seconds.
      This is going to be close.

      Q3 IS GO
      Three-way fight for pole between Hamilton, Bottas and Verstappen.
      Bottas has dominated all three sessions until now, Hamilton has that ability to pull it out of the bag at the last minute.

      Q2 IS DONE
      Russell, Vettel, Kvyat, Stroll and Ocon are eliminated.
      Big spin for Ricciardo, but he is into the top 10 shootout.

      HALFWAY THROUGH Q2
      And Sebastian Vettel is in danger of getting into Q3. He was on the medium tyre, but it was not quick enough. The Ferrari man will need to run again.
      Stroll and Ocon are also in danger of not making it into Q3.

      Q2 IS GO
      All eyes on the mid-table teams here, but there could be a few big scalps too.

      RUSSELL IS IN TO Q2
      The Brit, who faces an anxious wait to discover if he will drive for Williams next season, is in to Q2 with a final flying lap to knock out Kimi Raikkonen.
      So Latifi, Magnussen, Grosjean, Giovinazzi and Raikkonen are out.

      BOTTAS AND HAMILTON LOOKING STRONG
      Those in the drop zone are Latifi, Magnussen, Russell, Raikkonen and Grosjean.

      QUALIFYING IS GO
      The FIA are satisfied that the drain covers are all nailed down tight. We are underway in Portugal after a 30 minute delay.

      BUT THERE IS ACTION IN THE PITLANE
      Drivers are getting in their cars, getting ready for the 2:35pm start. A hint of optimism that this qualifying session will get underway.

      DRAIN PAIN
      Mercedes sporting director, Ron Meadows, says there is about 10km of covers to check.

      LOTS OF CHECKING GOING ON

      🚨 UPDATE 🚨
      The start of qualifying is delayed by 30 minutes while the circuit is repaired at Turn 14 following damage in FP3
      New start time 14:30 ⏰portuguesegp 🇵🇹 f1 pic.twitter.com/7kSRPY7tlT
      — Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020

      A DELAY TO QUALIFYING
      That pesky drain cover has caused a 30 minute delay, as the FIA check the others on the track to make sure they are all welded down.

      HEARING HAM
      Charles Leclerc said he could hear Lewis Hamilton on the radio during FP3.

      LANDO’S RESPONSE
      Lando Norris’ team hilariously responds to FP3 being cut short!

      SEB SAW IT
      Sebastian Vettel drove over the top of the drain, the session had to be stopped with a minute or so to go.

      DOWN THE DRAIN
      🚩 RED FLAG 🚩
      A drain cover has come loose at Turn 14 🔎portuguesegp 🇵🇹 f1 pic.twitter.com/5elLJKvc3L— Formula 1 (@F1) October 24, 2020

      FP3 IS DONE – BUT THERE IS A PROBLEM
      A loose drain cover at Turn 14 has stopped the session, and it will not be restarted.
      Things like that are incredibly dangerous. These F1 cars generate so much downforce, they ripped the heavy drain covers up.
      Normally, they are welded down.
      The FIA now need to check every single drain cover to ensure that does not work loose.

      GREAT JOB FROM PIERRE GASLY AND ALPHATAURI
      The Frenchman is in P4 – impressive in itself.
      But also because he car was in flames yesterday. A new engine and chassis meant a late night for his mechanics.

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      Portugal GP qualifying results: Lewis Hamilton pips team-mate Valtteri Bottas to pole at end of dramatic qualifying

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      LEWIS HAMILTON will start the Portuguese Grand Prix at the front of the grid after securing yet another pole.
      The reigning world champion is aiming to become the outright record holder for F1 wins this season.

      Lewis Hamilton in action during qualifying for the Portugal GPCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      The reigning world champion will start from the front of the grid for the 97th timeCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      And on medium tyres, he delivered the goods to pip his team-mate once more.
      Valtteri Bottas was the quickest driver in all the practice sessions and the first two qualifying sessions.
      And his one flying lap of 1:16.986 looked to be enough to secure his place at the front of the grid for tomorrow’s race.
      Hamilton did a 1:16.934 but Bottas went 0.180 seconds quicker to reclaim provisional pole and Max Verstappen nicked second.

      However, the Brit proved his class with a 1:16.652 lap at the end of qualifying to secure a 97th F1 pole and another Mercedes one-two.
      He said: “I can’t tell you how hard that was today!
      “I’ve just seen that Valtteri topped every session, and I’ve just been digging to find the time.
      “I chose to do three laps laps to have a chance to beat his time.”

      Verstappen will start third with Charles Leclerc joining him on the second row.
      Sergio Perez, Alex Albon, Carlos Sainz, Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly and Daniel Ricciardo completed the top ten.
      Qualifying at the Algarve International Circuit was delayed by 30 minutes after Sebastian Vettel managed to knock out a drain cover.
      Once that was finally repaired, Q1 got underway with Hamilton, Verstappen and Bottas the early pace-setters.
      George Russell pipped Kimi Raikkonen into Q2 before Vettel was the slowest of the five dumped out in the second qualifying session.
      Ricciardo survived into Q3 despite locking up and skidding backwards into the tyre wall.

      Qualifying was delayed as a drain cover came loose and needed fixingCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Valtteri Bottas, front, was quicker than his team-mate for virtually all of practice and qualifying before he was pipped by HamiltonCredit: EPA

      Lewis Hamilton by far F1’s top earner on a staggering £42m a year More

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      F1 Portuguese Grand Prix qualifying: UK start time, live stream, TV channel, race schedule from the Algarve

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      LEWIS HAMILTON continues his quest for a seventh world title as the F1 season continues in Portugal this weekend.
      The Brit star was back on top of the podium as he dominated at the Eifel Grand Prix, giving him a 69-point lead over teammate Valtteri Bottas.

      Mercedes are hoping to dominate once again in PortugalCredit: Reuters

      Bottas was fastest in practice yesterday, with Hamilton back in eighth and Max Verstappen impressing in the Red Bull.
      When is Portuguese Grand Prix qualifying?
      Three days of high-octane action began with two practice sessions on Friday, October 23.
      Qualifying follows TODAY – Saturday 24 – at 2pm, before the big race tomorrow at 1.10pm.
      Which TV channel and live stream can I watch it on?
      You can catch all of the weekend’s drama live on Sky Sports F1.
      Coverage of qualifying begins at 1pm.
      If you’re not a Sky subscriber, grab a NOW TV pass to stream from just £9.99.

      You can also catch qualifying highlights on Channel 4 at 5.30pm tonight,

      Race schedule
      Friday, October 23
      Practice 1 – 11am to 12.30pm
      Practice 2 – 3pm to 4.30pm
      Saturday, October 24
      Practice 3 – 11am to midday
      Qualifying – 2pm to 3pm
      Sunday, October 25
      Race – 1.10pm More

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      Lewis Hamilton rubbishes suggestions he lives ‘playboy’ lifestyle as F1 champ insists he enjoys staying in

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      LEWIS HAMILTON has rubbished suggestions he lived “a playboy” lifestyle – but says he now enjoys staying in.
      The F1 world champion has taken the covid lockdown extremely seriously and spent more time at his home in Monaco while when he’s at the race track, he stays in his motorhome.

      Lewis Hamilton alongside Rita Ora and Neymar at the Miu Miu LOVE partyCredit: Getty – Contributor

      The Formula 1 legend loves to travel by private jet

      It is a far cry from his usual jet-setting – such as in 2018 when he flew from Milan to London then to Shanghai before going on to New York for fashion commitments.
      From the US, he went straight to Singapore to take a sensational pole position, and while he always maintained his hectic life was good for his approach, the 35 year old says he’s enjoyed the slower pace during the lockdown.
      He said: “People have, over the years, assumed many things in terms of how my lifestyle is.
      “Of course I do different events, I have a life and interests outside of the sport.

      “People take for granted the time that I allow myself to focus on being the best I can be and being in shape physically and also mentally.
      “But I never do anything that will get in the way or hinder that. I only try to do things that add to it.
      “Only I can know how far I can stretch myself and I really think I’ve managed to strike a decent balance.
      “I know I’m given this playboy kind of image, which is not really me, if you were to go home and see me with my family, you’d know my core values.

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      Lewis Hamilton has insisted he does not live a ‘playboy’ lifestyle

      “The other years have been massively rushed and there’s been a lot going on – running from one place to another, flying from London to New York, New York to Singapore, arriving and doing the best qualifying lap that I’ve ever done and just continuously proving people’s theories wrong.
      “But this year has just been different – hardly any traveling, which has actually been quite pleasant, not being pulled left, right and centre.
      “I’ve been at home more than I’ve ever been in my entire life probably, this year, and it’s nice.
      “That’s a positive of this year, being able to have the time off from things that I don’t really want to do anyway.
      “We all have demands in our lives with jobs, not everyone wants to be in the office every single day.
      “There are commitments and things that I commit to that I don’t always want to do, but it is part of the machine that we are involved in.
      “But this year a lot of those things have disappeared and at the core of me is motor racing.
      “That’s what I’ve always loved doing, so it’s almost going back to the karting days.”

      Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton is a family manCredit: Instagram @lewishamilton

      The British superstar is a lover of luxury motors
      A reduction in sponsorship and media commitments is likely to be on Hamilton’s list of demands for his new contract at Mercedes.
      Hamilton, and Merc boss Toto Wolff, have yet to committee their futures to the team, despite having just over two months to run on their current deals.
      Ahead of this weekend’s Portuguse GP, Hamilton was quizzed why he has not signed up and he said it was not a priority – despite the looming deadline.
      Instead he says his main focus is winning his seventh world title.He added: “I just haven’t really spoken much about it. A formality? I don’t know… Probably.
      “At some stage we have to sit down and have the conversation but it’s not a priority right now, getting the job done for me this year personally is the priority.
      “Negotiations are never an easy thing for most people, having to go into an office and sit with your boss, it’s never an easy position to be in.
      “It’s always important just to be clear with each other about our intentions. I haven’t spoken to anybody else.
      “But I haven’t made any decisions. I do want to stay and I think when we do sit down, usually we plan in three-year periods but of course we’re in a different time.
      “Do I want to continue for three years is also a question. There are many, many questions still to be answered.”

      Lewis Hamilton releases album about drinking too much, sleeping with women and having his heart broken More

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      F1 Portuguese Grand Prix LIVE: Hamilton aiming for pole – latest practice updates from the Algarve

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      THE F1 season continues with the Portuguese Grand Prix on the sunny Algarve.
      Lewis Hamilton is in control of the Driver’s Championship after victory in Germany last weekend, but teammate Valtteri Bottas will be out for revenge.

      Follow all the latest from Portugal with our blog below…

      FP2 IS DONE
      Bottas tops the session. The Finn gets his weekend off to a great start after leading both sessions.
      Lewis Hamilton was second-quickest in FP1 one was only eighth in FP2 in a session wrecked by two safety cars.
      Verstappen, who caused one of the red flags after clashing with Lance Stoll, was P2 and Lando Norris in P3.

      FIVE MINUTES TO GO
      And it is Bottas, Verstappen, Leclerc, Vettel, Gasly, Hamilton, Russell, Albon, Norris and Perez in P10.
      But this session has been hampered by the Pirelli test and two red flags.

      TRACK IS OPEN
      The pitlane light goes green and we have a little over seven minutes remaining.

      STILL, THE RED FLAG IS OUT
      But the session time is ticking down. When FP2 does get under way, it will be another frantic one.

      CRASH STROLL AND VERSTAPPEN COLLIDE – RED FLAG
      That is a BIG mistake from Stroll, who clatters in to the Red Bull man. Crazy stuff.
      The Canadian could be in for a penalty here.

      BUSY TRACK
      Less than 30 minutes to go and it is a busy track as drivers look to complete their programmes.
      Bottas currently quickest from Verstappen.

      WE ARE GO AGAIN
      After Gasly’s car is cleared, the track is open and the session is back on.
      Mercedes’s Hamilton and Bottas are first out on track.

      GASLY’S CAR IS ON FIRE – RED FLAG
      Session has been stopped…
      The Frencham pulled over quickly and his AlphaTauri caught fire. The blaze quickly erupted.
      There was a delay before marshals go there to extinguish the blaze.

      HAMILTON NOT HAPPY ON THESE TYRES
      He has complained about too much vibration. He comes in to pit. He’s had enough of them.
      Mercedes will now feed all the info back to Pirelli and their engineers working on next year’s car.

      SO FAR SO GOOD
      A spin for Carlos Sainz, but no other dramas yet on these unknown tyres. It is all pretty nerdy but it is important for both Pirelli and the teams to get some understanding of next year’s tyres.

      FP2 IS GO
      And this will be a strange one as for the first part of this session, the teams will be using prototype Pirelli tyres for next season.
      So plenty of running, but the teams won’t actually know what compounds they are running.

      CUTTING CORNERS
      Watch how Max Verstappen span out during P1 while taking on the elevation at turn four.
      The 23-year-old recovered to finish the session third fastest.

      THE STANDINGS
      Take a look at the results from the first practice session in Portugal.
      Mercedes unsurprisingly take the 1-2 with Verstappen and LeClerc third and fourth fastest.

      Valtteri Bottas set the pace ahead of Lewis Hamilton on Formula 1’s debut at the ‘rollercoaster’ Portimao circuit, with Mercedes stealing an early march on Red Bull in #PortugueseGP Practice One.
      FP1 Report ✍️📲⤵️#SkyF1 | #F1
      — Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) October 23, 2020

      FP 1 IS DONE
      Good start for Mercedes, as Bottas leads Hamilton in a 1-2 finish for the session.
      That man Verstappen again makes up the top three while Leclerc is in P4.
      Albon P5 and Sainz in P6.
      Plenty of running although early signs are that there won’t be too much overtaking on Sunday.

      30 MINUTES TO GO
      And Hamilton is topping the time sheets from Leclerc and then Perez. Bottas currently in P4.
      So a solid start from Mercedes, as expected, but also from Ferrari.
      Vettel in P7 as Ferrari seem to have found some pace in their upgrades for this race.

      PROBLEMS FOR RUSSELL AND VERSTAPPEN
      Both drivers have yet to set competitive lap times but should both be out on track soon.

      SPIN FOR LECLERC
      The Ferrari man also suffers from a lack of grip and almost beaches his car in the gravel.
      So far Hamilton tops the timesheets from Gasly.

      FP1 IS GO
      And it is an early start for Carlos Sainz, who complaining of a lack of grip in his McLaren.
      Hardly surprising given the lack of action on the track.
      Big issue too is the track limits – there are some areas with plenty of run off, which encourages drivers to run wide on the track.
      But if they do that, they could have their lap times deleted by the stewards.

      PET PEEVE
      Lewis Hamilton has blasted the FIA’s decision to hire Vitaly Petrov as a steward for this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix after the Russian’s outspoken remarks.
      Last month, the former F1 racer was quoted by Russian publication Championat, criticising Hamilton’s anti-racism stance as being “too much”.
      Petrov is also quoted as saying “let’s say a driver admits to being gay – will they come out with a rainbow flag and urge everyone to become gay as well?”
      SunSport put those quotes to Hamilton ahead of this weekend’s race and the world champion said he was shocked to see him appointed by the FIA as part of their four-man panel who effectively referee the race.
      He said: “I have not seen all the quotes, and you have just recited some of them.
      “Of course, it is a surprise to see that they are hiring someone who has those beliefs and is so vocal about things we are trying to fight against.
      “You should take it up with the FIA because there is nothing I can particularly do about.”

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