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    Inside Lewis Hamilton’s F1 off-season as Mercedes star heads to Egypt to see Pyramids and party with Naomi Campbell

    LEWIS HAMILTON has shared photos of his trip to Egypt following the end of the Formula 1 season.The seven-time champion finished off a disappointing campaign in Abu Dhabi last month by retiring on the 55th lap as he ended the year without a win for the first time in his F1 career.
    Lewis Hamilton visited the Pyramids while in EgyptCredit: Instagram
    He also met up with Naomi CampbellCredit: Instagram
    Hamilton also posed in front of a Dior backdropCredit: Instagram
    Hamilton is enjoying some downtime after the end of the F1 seasonCredit: Instagram
    He has been exploring the African country and shared pictures on social mediaCredit: Instagram
    The incredible shots encapsulated Hamilton’s breathtaking tripCredit: Instagram
    The Brit, 37, came sixth in the drivers’ standings, 214 points behind champion Max Verstappen and 35 adrift of Mercedes team-mate George Russell.
    But he remained composed and positive throughout what was a difficult year for the team and has gone into the off-season filled with optimism about what could be achieved in 2023.
    And he is now enjoying some well-earned downtime in Egypt, exploring the Pyramids and partying with model Naomi Campbell.
    Hamilton spent the summer break tracing his roots in Africa, visiting countries such as Namibia and Rwanda.
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    Now he is exploring another and took to social media to post about the incredible trip.
    Speaking on Instagram, he said: “First time in Egypt!!
    “I’ve wanted to come here for the longest time, and I’ve been wanting to see more of Africa after my trip this summer.
    “Got to do both in one trip. Thank you @mrkimjones and the @dior team for inviting me along, these two beautiful days in Cairo were incredible 🇪🇬♥️.”
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    On track, Hamilton remains committed to trying to win a record-breaking eighth world title.
    He is currently level with Michael Schumacher on seven and came incredibly close to eclipsing the German in 2021 – only for Verstappen to overtake him on the last lap of the final race.
    But Hamilton, who turns 38 in January, is determined to keep fighting.
    Speaking at the end of the season, he said: “These next couple of weeks, we’ll be back at the factory, we’ll get to see everybody, and while we’re not celebrating a world championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.
    “I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strengths to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More

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    Lewis Hamilton compares Verstappen’s row with Perez to the KARDASHIANS and ‘can’t wait to watch it’ on Drive To Survive

    LEWIS HAMILTON has taken a swipe at Max Verstappen’s row with team-mate Sergio Perez by comparing them to the Kardashians.Despite winning both titles, Red Bull ended the year marred in controversy after the revelation of their cost cap breach as well as a rift between Verstappen and Perez.
    Lewis Hamilton finds Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez’s tiff “entertaining”Credit: Alamy
    Max Verstappen had a heated row with Red Bull team-mate Sergio PerezCredit: Rex
    Hamilton compared the Red Bull pair to the antics of Khloe Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kourtney Kardashian, Kim Kardashian West, North West, Caitlyn Jenner and Kylie JennerCredit: Getty
    Lewis Hamilton compared Red Bull’s drama to the Kardashians – which includes KimCredit: Getty Images – Getty
    It all came to a head at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix with the Mexican fuming at the the two-time world champion for refusing to obey a team order to let him through.
    The Dutchman, on the other hand, brought up a grievance he had held against Perez as he felt he crashed on purpose during qualifying for the Monaco Grand Prix in May.
    Hamilton appears to be loving every minute of it and even claims his rivals’ tiff reminds him of the outlandish drama depicted on the reality series Keeping up with the Kardashians.
    The Mercedes superstar described the situation as “entertaining” and hopes to see more of it on the upcoming season of Drive to Survive on Netflix.
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    Hamilton told Channel 4: “It feels like the Kardashian show, it’s pretty hilarious.
    “Some of the stuff I’ve heard in the past few days has been so entertaining. There was somebody’s mother posting something.
    “It was pretty interesting stuff. I’m sure it’ll be in Netflix, it’s going to be great.”
    Hamilton was presumably referring to a subsequently-deleted social media post from Verstappen’s mother.
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    Sophie Kumpen appeared to suggest Perez had been unfaithful to his wife – a situation the driver has previously addressed.
    British legend Hamilton finished the season sixth with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc second behind Verstappen. More

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    Formula 1 star Lewis Hamilton slammed for doing doughnuts in a £155,000 Nissan Skyline supercar in a Japanese car park

    LEWIS Hamilton has been blasted after “speeding” and doing doughnuts in a £155,000 supercar in Japan.The seven-time Formula 1 world champion, 37, drove a 1998 Nissan Skyline R34 around Tokyo, taking to Instagram to post clips of his late-night drive.
    Lewis Hamilton has been slammed by fansCredit: Instagram
    A clip shows him doing doughnuts in a closed car parkCredit: Instagram
    Smoke could be seen coming from the gear stick at one pointCredit: Instagram
    Hamilton captioned the post: “I only like to drive on track, but I make exceptions.”
    Snapshots from the post appear to show Hamilton’s speedometer at almost 160km/h (99 mph) as he roared around the Tokyo Expressway in Japan – seemingly 60km/h over the speed limit.
    Road traffic laws in Japan restrict cars to 100km/h (62mph) on divided national expressways and 60km/h (37mph) on other roads, unless otherwise stated.
    The highest speed limit in the country is on some sections of the Shin-Tōmei Expressway and Tōhoku Expressway at 120km/h (75mph).
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    After completing several doughnuts in an empty car park smoke can be seen rising from inside the car’s gear stick as Hamilton laughs.
    The racing star has come under fire from Japanese fans for posting the video, with road users in the country telling him his speed was “strictly prohibited”.
    Another said: “Surprised to see him acting so recklessly on public roads.”
    “There are shots of him doing two and a half times the speed limit.
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    “It’s a very cool video, but probably wasn’t the best idea.”
    It’s understood the doughnut stunt was filmed in a closed parking lot.
    Other fans loved the videos, saying: “Get over it, it’s just for fun.
    “It was probably well choreographed for all we know – let the guy live.”
    Another added: “It’s amazing to see him having so much fun”.
    The iconic car, which has a top speed of 165mph, was used in the 2006 film The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift – starring Lucas Black.
    The footage, shot by Hamilton’s personal photographer Timothy McGurr, 38, has gone viral online, racking up over 1.6 million likes.
    In 2007, Hamilton, who holds the record for most race wins in Formula 1 history, was banned from driving in France for a month after cops clocked him doing 123mph.
    Officers chased down the racer after he triggered a motorway speed trap in his £50,000 Mercedes CLK.
    And in 2010 the Mercedes driver saw his car impounded by cops after he did burnouts on the streets of Melbourne.
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    The driver, who was knighted last year, apologised for the 2010 incident and admitted: “I was silly”.
    Hamilton ended the F1 season sixth in the standings, with 2022 becoming the first year in the Stevenage-born star’s career where he has failed to win a race.
    Footage also shows him driving down the Tokyo ExpresswayCredit: Instagram
    The F1 star captioned the post: ‘I only like to drive on track, but I make exceptions’Credit: Instagram More

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    Lewis Hamilton could have Mick Schumacher as Mercedes team-mate next season as Wolff opens door to signing F1 icon’s son

    TOTO Wolff has opened the door for Mick Schumacher to be Lewis Hamilton’s new team-mate at Mercedes next season.The 23-year-old, son of legendary racer Michael, competed for Haas in 2022.
    Mick Schumacher is the son of former F1 icon MichaelCredit: Getty
    Toto Wolff has opened the door for Schumacher to join Lewis Hamilton at MercedesCredit: Getty
    But Schumacher is a free agent after being replaced by Nico Hulkenberg.
    Meanwhile, Mercedes are looking out for a new reverse after Nyck de Vries joined AlphaTauri and Stoffel Vandoorne signed for Aston Martin.
    And Wolff admitted that he would be interested in taking care of the German when speaking at the Abu Dhabi GP.
    He said: “Mick is someone that has always been close to our heart because of Michael, or the whole Schumacher family.
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    “Ralf was in a DTM for a long time for us, his son races Mercedes [cars] in GTs.
    “He’s an intelligent, well-mannered young man, [and] he’s been very successful in junior formulas.
    “We believe that we can look after him if the situation were to happen and with someone that fits the team, but we haven’t really put pen to paper, we haven’t really come anywhere close to any terms.
    “I’m saying that openly because I think he just fits and now we need to make it happen, if he wants to, Sabine [Kehm, Schumacher’s manager] wants to, and then we see where that goes to.”
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    But Wolff admitted that nothing has been decided yet.
    He added: “We haven’t really put pen to paper, we haven’t really come anywhere close to any terms.
    “I’m seeing it that openly because I think he just fits and now we need to make it happen, if he wants to, Sabine wants to and then we see we see where that goes to.” More

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    Lewis Hamilton says ‘we finished with a car we didn’t want’ in brutal dig at Mercedes after ZERO F1 wins

    LEWIS HAMILTON slammed Mercedes for giving him a car he “didn’t want” after ending the F1 season with ZERO wins.The seven-time world champion was hoping to end a miserable year with a victory at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday.
    Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire from the Abu Dhabi GP on SundayCredit: Getty
    But Hamilton’s season in further disappointment after he was forced to retire with a suspected hydraulic issue three laps from the end.
    It means the 37-year-old failed to win a single race for the first time since he joined the F1 circuit in 2008.
    His DNF in Abu Dhabi saw him slip to sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, his worst ever return.
    Hamilton even finished below Mercedes teammate George Russell, who came fourth.
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    The Englishman reflected on a frustrating year and wasn’t exactly thrilled with the car he drove.
    He said: “Ultimately, I think we started with a car that we didn’t want and we finished with a car that we didn’t want but we were basically stuck with it.
    “We kept trundling way, kept working away at improving it, but I think the fundamentals have still been there until the end, as you saw this weekend.
    “It’s been more of a team building exercise this year and I’m very, very proud of everybody.
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    Despite his obvious frustrations, Hamilton still thanked his team for getting him through the worst season of his career.
    He added: “Whilst we’re not celebrating a World Championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.
    “I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strength to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More

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    Shock stats reveal just how bad Lewis Hamilton’s F1 season was as he goes his first EVER without single race win

    LEWIS HAMILTON’S Formula 1 season ended in the worst possible way after he was forced to retire at the Abu Dhabi GP on Sunday.While Max Verstappen tasted victory in the final race of the year, the seven-time world champion suffered more misery after he pulled out.
    Lewis Hamilton finished the 2022 season without a single winCredit: Alamy
    It means that Hamilton failed to win a single race in a season for the first time in 16 years on the F1 circuit.
    The 37-year-old’s terrible time also saw him end in sixth-place for the championship, the lowest of his career.
    Hamilton had finished in the top two in each of the last eight years and was on course to come fifth having held a six-point lead over Carlos Sainz ahead of the race.
    But his DNF in the Middle East saw him slip down one place in the Drivers’ Championship.
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    He racked up just 240 points, a whopping 214 fewer than Verstappen.
    George Russell, who came fifth in Abu Dhabi, secured fourth place overall, meaning Hamilton finished below his teammate for just the third time in his career.
    The other two occasions were in 2009 when Jenson Button won the world title and Nico Roseberg seven years later.
    Despite his struggles, Hamilton is hopeful of challenging for world titles in the future.
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    He said: “These next couple of weeks, we’ll be back at the factory, we’ll get to see everybody, and while we’re not celebrating a world championship, we’ll be celebrating them still for their hard work and efforts.”
    “I hope that the struggles this year really provide us with the tools and the strengths to fight for many more championships moving forward.” More

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    Pep Guardiola joins Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes as stars including Patrice Evra, Shaq and Usain Bolt flock to Abu Dhabi GP

    PEP GUARDIOLA was among the stars who came along to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix as big celebrities filled the grid. It was the final F1 race of the season and many big names were out on show to mark the occasion.
    Guardiola was enjoying some time off with the Premier League season on hiatusCredit: Splash
    Usain Bolt and Patrice Evra were along the stars enjoying the Abu Dhabi actionCredit: Getty
    American singer Usher enjoyed the action in the UAECredit: Splash
    Last year’s Abu Dhabi race went down as one of the most controversial in the history of the sport.
    But with the title resolved several races ago and many other plot lines already wrapped up, it was a relaxed atmosphere on the grid as celebrities descended.
    Among the biggest names was Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola.
    He is enjoying a rare mid-season break while the World Cup takes centre-stage.
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    The Spaniard joined Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team for the weekend – and became the latest big name to snub Martin Brundle.
    The former F1 driver and Sky Sports pundit attempted to reel in Guardiola during his traditional pre-race grid walk, but the manager was not in the mood for a chat.
    As Brundle tried to talk to him about Man City, the manager said: “No, let’s not talk about football today.”
    He then walked away as body guards ushered Brundle away, leading the unflappable F1 pundit to quip: “It’s okay, I’ve been thrown out of better places than this.”
    Ben Stokes was one of many English cricketers in attendanceCredit: Getty
    Film star Martin Lawrence took a selfie alongside comedian Michael DapaahCredit: Getty
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    Elsewhere, other major globe-trotting celebs popped up.
    Olympic legend Usain Bolt was also visible in the paddock ahead of the race, while fellow sports star Shaquille O’Neal was also present.
    Former Manchester United full-back Patrice Evra also arrived at the star-studded event and mingled alongside other celebs, including American pop star Usher.
    And England legend Ben Stokes was among several cricketers who turned up to watch the race – only a week after their brilliant T20 Cricket World Cup win.
    It ended up being a disappointing Grand Prix with Max Verstappen waltzing unchallenged to his 15th win of the season.
    A frustrated Hamilton meanwhile was forced to retire his Mercedes with only a couple of laps to go. More

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    Max Verstappen cruises to 15th win of F1 season at Abu Dhabi GP as Lewis Hamilton forced to retire TWO LAPS from finish

    LEWIS HAMILTON’s miserable season came to a fitting end as he retired from the Abu Dhabi two laps from the end.The Brit’s Mercedes suffered a hydraulic problem that proved terminal and condemned him to an unwelcome landmark of going a whole season without a single victory.
    Verstappen took control of the race early and none of the other drivers could challenge the Red BullCredit: Reuters
    It was a frustrating end to a frustrating season for Lewis Hamilton, who had to retire his carCredit: Getty
    The Mercedes man has won at least once in each of his previous 15 years, but this season, a dreadful car design coupled with Max Verstappen’s dominance, put an end to his record.
    He had previously been involved in a clash with Carlos Sainz and later in the race blamed his team for putting him on the wrong tyre strategy.
    It all proved irrelevant as he finished this race early, sick of the sight of the sluggish Merc that has been ravaged by porpoising problems.
    Verstappen meanwhile, wrapped up his 15th win of the season in a dreary race in Abu Dhabi that was never going to live up to last year’s drama.
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    Remember the flashpoint 12 months ago that threw F1 into turmoil? The fudged rules by FIA race director Michael Masi as Verstappen took the win and the title.
    This year, the championship had been sewn up ages ago as this billion-dollar track in the desert served up a more-routine dullard.
    Verstappen led from the line and was not put under any pressure from Charles Leclerc, who was second to take the runner-up spot in the championship.
    Verstappen, who was booed as he was interviewed after the race, said: “It was a good race. All about tyre management from lap one to the end.
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    “It was incredible to win here again this year and the 15th win of the season.
    “It has been really enjoyable to work with the whole team and I know it will be hard to replicate but it is good motivation for next season.”
    Sergio Perez’s third place meant he denied his Red Bull team the chance of a one-two finish in the championship.
    Sainz was fourth and George Russell was fifth following on from his win in Sao Paulo last weekend.
    Ironically, Hamilton’s retirement from the race catapulted his mate Sebastian Vettel into the points on his final race in F1.
    Sebastian Vettel received a guard of honour from his fellow drivers in his final F1 raceCredit: Getty
    The 35-year-old is calling time on his F1 career and the four-time world champion said: “I wish it had been a couple of more points but I enjoyed the race.
    “It was a little different than before and I am sure I am going to miss F1 more than I understand today.
    “The last few years have been disappointing from a sporting point of view, but very useful to me and a lot has happened.
    “I hope to pass on some of the good work to the other drivers. It is great to have the power to inspire and we have far bigger and more important things than racing in circles.
    “But that is what we love and if we can transfer that, it would be good. It has been a joy throughout my career.” More