Hamilton, being the most successful and popular F1 driver, has boundless weight in his words. Therefore, his statements are of extreme importance to the media houses, something they long for endlessly. Therefore, they often go beyond their professional boundary to extract ‘content’ and in doing so, end up ‘abusing’ Hamilton and other drivers in the process.

Windsor said,

“He’s [Hamilton] been abused so many times by stupid questions from journalists who just want to provoke him into saying something that they can misquote and put in a big black bold headline. He’s just given up really talking to the press in any sort of meaningful way and it’s very sad that the press these days has done that.”

Hamilton is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time, and this part of his persona is heavily respected by the media and fans alike. His achievements speak for themselves, so no one can question his immense talent. On the other hand, he has several ventures he tends to focus on outside of F1.

Hamilton has often shared his thoughts about veganism. climate change and racism, and is quite outspoken. Additionally, he has a huge celebrity status, and hangs out with some of the biggest stars in the world, both inside and outside the world of sports. His interviews and quotes related to similar topics often leads to him facing a slew of negative coverage.

Lewis Hamilton’s negative coverage shows how much media has changed

While explaining the plight Lewis Hamilton faces by the media, Peter Windsor spoke about an incident that involved the great Jim Clark. Windsor unraveled how the late British F1 driver won the 1963 French Grand Prix and decided to have a different day at office.

Clark, after winning the race, crossed the track and walked up to the press center filled with journalists. He, instead of going for the traditional post-race interview, went for a quiet little chat with them. This is something the drivers in Formula 1 cannot think of now.

Don’t ever forget your power. Don’t ever forget your purpose. Don’t ever forget that I’m rooting for you. pic.twitter.com/yKHdD3BUPa

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 14, 2022

Windsor, who has vast experience working with the media in Formula 1 also shared his disappointment about how his field has changed, but not for good. According to him, it has become vicious and “quite nasty.”

The side effects of this side of the media are sure to harm the next generation and take a toll on them. Peter Windsor concluded by saying how terrible media bullying has become. With this he also mentioned drivers, who are public figures, are also human beings and deserve privacy.

The post “He’s Been Abused So Many Times”: Ex-Ferrari Boss Stands With Lewis Hamilton to Expose F1 Media appeared first on The SportsRush.

Talking about the Briton’s comments about the ill-fated W13, Windsor said, “I think you give Lewis too much credit for being able to know exactly how good or bad the car’s going to be before it’s even turned a wheel. I don’t believe he does. If he did, why was he going on about how good the 2022 car was going to be before it hit the road?”

Mercedes took a bold approach with the 2022 car with their ‘zero pods’ concept. Once that failed miserably, even a more conventional aerodynamic philosophy wasn’t enough to salvage its successor, the W14. Consequently, time and again, Hamilton had been criticizing the team about the car’s drivability and performance on the pretext of the team ignoring his inputs in terms of development.

After a very disappointing outing with Mercedes in 2023, Hamilton may have just lost faith in the project. With the W15 probably not delivering a vastly superior experience, from his first simulator runs, Hamilton would’ve been eager to take on the challenge of winning that eighth world title with the Scuderia instead.

Ferrari wanted Lewis Hamilton more than Mercedes

In the past, and as recently as his contract extension in August, Hamilton has reiterated his desire to finish his career at the Brackley-based team. Despite him winning 6 titles for the team, it seems like Mercedes did not want this alliance as much as the 39-year-old did.

Speculations in the paddock suggest that the board of Mercedes was not willing to offer Hamilton the ambassadorial role that he wanted once he had hung his racing helmet up. A tough pill for the #44 driver, it only needed Ferrari to show the impetus to lure him away from the Silver Arrows.

Mercedes’ board of directors refused a proposed deal to make Lewis Hamilton a Mercedes ambassador until 2035.

John Elkann proposed a $400 million investment in Lewis’ projects such as Mission44 and transform him into an ambassador for Ferrari.

— Mercedes-AMG F1 News (@MercedesNewsUK) February 2, 2024

While Mercedes inexplicably snubbed their world champion, the Maranello outfit was more than happy to offer the Briton what Mercedes did and more. Ferrari’s chairman, John Elkann has reportedly agreed to fulfill Hamilton’s financial demands in the sport along with a guarantee of supporting his off-track ventures such as Mission 44.

Elkann has agreed to extend a whopping $400 million to the Briton cumulatively lover the years whilst also offering him that elusive ambassadorial role that Mercedes denied him.

The post “You Give Lewis Too Much Credit”: Peter Windsor Exposes Hamilton’s Weakness to Dismiss Undeserved Praise appeared first on The SportsRush.

Speaking about this, Windsor said, “In a way, I don’t have much sympathy for Mercedes because I don’t think they handled Abu Dhabi very well and obviously, you can give them one year off in terms of not getting the car right in 22′, but two years of a car that isn’t a race-winning car is really inexcusable for a team with that amount of money.”

Mercedes perhaps did not put much effort into retrieving Hamilton‘s championship following the 2021 Abu Dhabi fiasco after all. Even though the Silver Arrows decided to go to court to protest against the decision, they ultimately decided to respect the FIA’s decision.

Had the decision been overturned, Hamilton would have been an eight-time world champion. Secondly, Mercedes failed to provide Hamilton with a race-winning car in two back-to-back seasons. The British driver won his last race in Saudi Arabia in 2021.

What else mattered in Lewis Hamilton’s switch to Ferrari?

Apart from the aforementioned reasons, there is also another reason that is believed to have played an instrumental role in the transfer: Lewis Hamilton’s wish to become a brand ambassador. Mercedes denied the same, while Ferrari accepted.

The seven-time world champion wanted his latest contract to also help with his post-retirement plans. Hence, he wanted the role of a brand ambassador following his retirement from the sport with handsome pay. However, this isn’t something the Silver Arrows agreed to.

This led to Lewis Hamilton being unhappy even though he initially agreed to stay with the Brackley team for 2024 and 2025. The tables turned after Ferrari chairman John Elkann came out with an offer that the Briton could not refuse.

It’s been a crazy few days which have been filled with a whole range of emotions.

But as you all now know, after an incredible 11 years at Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team, the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life and I will be joining Scuderia Ferrari in 2025.

I… pic.twitter.com/ysie0XxAFe

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) February 3, 2024

As per reports, the Briton is all set to join Ferrari on a multi-year deal for $435 million. This will see him draw $87 million as salary and claim $21 million in bonuses for his Mission 44. The deal will see him stay in the team for 2025 with an option to extend to 2026.

Along with this, Ferrari seem to have also agreed to his demands of a brand ambassador role. Moreover, Scuderia Ferrari also stands in a better position to challenge Red Bull than Mercedes at the moment. Therefore, the deal for Hamilton seemed ideal at this point

As for Mercedes, they are likely to turn all their attention to George Russell now. This is because the team is unlikely to involve Lewis Hamilton in any of the development works from this year onwards as he would leave the team at the end of the season.

The post “I Don’t Have Much Sympathy for Mercedes”: 2 ‘Inexcusable’ Guilts Blamed for Lewis Hamilton’s Exit appeared first on The SportsRush.

When Windsor was asked by Cameron if F1 was “selling its soul” by introducing the Madrid GP, the former Ferrari boss explained on the latter’s YouTube channel, “You get drivers like Max who aren’t afraid to speak out. They say that this is a trend we are not particularly fond of. And I agree with that“.

Windsor then explained how F1 is perhaps no longer catering to the demand of purist fans. As a result of more and more street circuits, the journalist believes that F1 seems to prefer having more DRS zones for more overtaking and potentially also crashes.

As for how F1 came up with the idea of having a GP in Madrid, Windsor revealed that the plans were already in place when an exhibition was held in the city last year. The exhibition took place at the IFEMA Madrid, which also happens to be the location of the track for the race in the city.

Windsor reveals in the interview that at the time of the exhibition in Madrid, the circuit organizers interestingly also had a discussion of where they’ll have the paddocks and the garages. Hence, it’s clear that F1 had clear plans for a future race in Madrid as early as last year.

Madrid GP circuit similar to that of Miami GP

According to a report issued by si.com, F1 went through 24 models before they decided on the layout for the upcoming Madrid Grand Prix. F1 finally decided that the circuit of the Madrid GP will be similar to that of the Miami GP.

The track for the Madrid GP will also be a hybrid street circuit that will incorporate both street sections and also a permanent track. Such a move from F1 is likely to be a huge success as the race will take place in the center of Madrid city. As a result, F1 will not have to put in too much effort to market their races to increase the attendance.

Let’s go racing in Madrid!

Say hello to the brand-new circuit built around the @IFEMA Exhibition Centre #F1 pic.twitter.com/klysY8HAiT

— Formula 1 (@F1) January 23, 2024

While the Madrid GP is likely to be a huge success from the commercial point of view, there is likely to be a certain section of the fans who will not appreciate this move. Since street circuits are usually narrow, there could be few overtakes during races.

Another concern that some F1 fans have is that the entry of Madrid onto the calendar from the 2026 season onwards will be the end of the Barcelona race. The fans believe so because of the current Concorde Agreement, and the fact that F1 has already designed Madrid as the chosen city to host the Spanish GP from the 2026 season onwards.

As per the current Concorde Agreement, F1 cannot have more than 24 races in a single year. Since F1 already had 24 before the introduction of the Madrid Grand Prix, the most likely race that the sport is likely to remove is the one that takes place in Barcelona.

The post Ex-Ferrari Boss Expects Max Verstappen to Trash F1 for ‘Selling Its Soul’ With Madrid Move appeared first on The SportsRush.

Windsor recently appeared for an interview with YouTube creator Cameron. In the latest episode of The F1 Hour, while talking about F1 starting races in places like Madrid, Cameron raised the possibility of purist fans leaving the sport. Windsor agreed with Cameron while also raising the issue of drivers losing the opportunity to display what sets them apart.

The 71-year-old said,

“The problem is that the standard of driving will go down because the very great drivers will have fewer and fewer opportunities to show the difference in skill level. For me, there’s nothing nicer than watching a Max Verstappen or a Lewis or a Charles [Leclerc] or an Oscar [Piastri] displaying a talent that is above the ordinary. And that may well go, the opportunities to do that may well go with this trend.”

Windsor explained how F1 is relying heavily on the DRS and high-speed braking corners to create excitement. He also claimed that they simply use camera angles to amplify the viewers’ experience. However, in the long run, they will end up hurting the sport.

The Las Vegas GP circuit is one such example. In fact, purist racers like Verstappen spoke extensively against its inception. The Dutchman ended up changing his opinion after winning the inaugural race, though.

Why Max Verstappen changed his opinion on the Las Vegas GP

Before the start of the Vegas GP weekend, Max Verstappen let his disdain known on many occasions. The reigning champion went as far as calling it “99% show, 1% sport”. On one occasion, he dubbed the Vegas race a “National League” and Monaco the “Champions League”.

Talking about the fans’ interests at the Las Vegas GP, Verstappen said,

“Most of them just come to have a party, drink, see a DJ, or a performance act. I can do that all over the world. I can go to Ibiza and get completely (drunk) and have a good time. People come here, but they become a fan of what?”

A huge collection of Max Verstappen’s remarks about the Las Vegas GP

On the Las Vegas track:
“Monaco, I think, is Champion’s League. This is (the) National League.”

On the Las Vegas GP:
“It’s 99% show, 1% sporting event”

On Toto Wolff:
“I think if it was his car, then he… pic.twitter.com/Tc2fvDF0yZ

— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 18, 2023

The three-time champion, however, had a change of heart in his opinion of the inaugural race after winning it. He talked about how he enjoyed the race and hoped the fans did too. Verstappen also revealed his excitement to come back and race there again in 2024.

The Dutchman won 19 races of the 22 in the 2023 season. Vegas was one of those rare races where he faced competition from rival teams. He failed to start the race from the pole position which Leclerc took. They had a close battle throughout the race, with Verstappen coming out on top in the end.

The post Peter Windsor Fears Losing Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton-Like Drivers Due to F1’s Unpopular Trend appeared first on The SportsRush.

In a recent live chat on his YouTube channel, Windsor said, “You can imagine that after two years of messing around, Mercedes has got its affairs in order. All I can say is: yes. I think Mercedes will join us at the front.”

The team has indeed faced some chaotic times in the recent past. Last year, James Allison was a part of the reshuffle of the team that failed to make an impact. The British engineer, however, is back to his Technical Director designation and has given some positive feedback on the W15’s development.

We are delighted to confirm that James Allison has signed a long-term contract extension to remain as Technical Director

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) January 18, 2024

Windsor believes Allison will play a major role if Mercedes were to make a comeback to the front. The journalist went to the extent of dubbing Red Bull to be at a disadvantage by not having a man like Allison in their team.

He made a similar assessment for Mercedes as well. Given Adrian Newey’s exploits of late, Windsor feels the Brackley team is at a disadvantage by not having a mastermind like him.

James Allison vs Adrian Newey – the ultimate F1 showdown

Red Bull has ruled the F1 grid for 2 years with a kind of dominance that the sport has not witnessed thus far. The 2023 season was the perfect continuation of where the team ended in 2022.

They registered a record 21 race wins from the 22 available opportunities. In the process, they also breached McLaren’s 1988 record of the highest win rate. The brains responsible for delivering the car that achieved it all was Adrian Newey.

While the number of records broken in this period is surprising, Red Bull hopping back on the success train isn’t. That is because of Newey’s proven track record with the ground-effect regulations.

He is one of the remaining few engineers from F1’s original ground-effect era. On top of that, his academic thesis on the phenomenon is a respected work in the field.

“He did his thesis on ground effect floors” – Lewis Hamilton on Adrian Newey’s unsurprising understanding of this year’s regs (all said in good spirit while complimenting his work). #F1 #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/VDEnTW4Hty

— Simon Dau (@there_is_no_if) September 1, 2022

James Allison, on the other hand, is no stranger to success himself. The man was in the middle of the purple patch enjoyed by Mercedes. He helped the Silver Arrows win five consecutive championships from 2017 to 2021. In four of those seasons, he also helped Lewis Hamilton to win the title.

However, the team are now on a downwards trajectory as 2023 was the first season in their history that they failed to win a race. Despite their recent struggles, they are optimistic about their chances going into 2024. Hamilton has provided a positive review about the W15 after checking the car in the wind tunnel.

The post “Mercedes Will Join Us at the Front”: Bold Prediction Made as Lewis Hamilton’s Team Gets House in Order appeared first on The SportsRush.

Speaking on his YouTube live stream, Windsor cited as quoted by F1 Maximaal,

“What they (FIA) didn’t realize was that they were playing hugely into Adrian Newey’s hands by forcing everyone to design a ground effect car, because Newey is the only designer or aerodynamicist who really knew what he was doing, and still knows what he’s doing.”

Newey has been designing F1 cars ever since the late 1980s. Hence, his engineering and technical understanding is much more advanced and innate. During the 70s and 80s, F1 had ground-effect cars after Colin Chapman introduced the Lotus car as one of the first ground-effect cars on the grid.

Adrian Newey, thus, has a relatively better understanding of how to get the best of the ground effect regulations. He had studied those regulations and even worked with the Fittipaldi team to some extent to understand them practically.

So, Windsor hit the nail on the head in assessing how the FIA inadvertently helped the British designer to do his masterful work which he has for Red Bull. While the 65-year-old is toward the twilight of his career, he still is one of the best car designers on the grid.

Even Windsor acknowledged Newey’s talent and mastery in aerodynamics. Therefore, it was perhaps inevitable that Red Bull would produce rapid cars under Newey’s supervision despite FIA’s intention of better racing with the 2022 rules.

How all teams are jumping on Red Bull’s bandwagon to emulate what Adrian Newey did?

After two seasons of trial and error, all remaining teams have understood that the Red Bull concept is the best to work with under the current regulations. Mercedes tried their level best with their unique zero side pod concept but admittedly faltered.

Steadily, they too have moved away and have tried to get some inspiration from their arch-rivals. However, for 2024, the Silver Arrows are claiming that they will still be bringing a fresh concept, unlike Red Bull.

Similarly, Ferrari is doing a 95% overhaul of their 2023 car. However, they have cited how their challenger will try to go more the Red Bull way and try to retain its core strengths such as qualifying speed. Overall, the Italian outfit is looking to get better on race pace, where they have had most of their struggles and deficit to Red Bull.

Last season, Aston Martin already started following the Red Bull concept for their 2023 car. While they were very quick initially, as the season went along, their pace dropped off. During the in-season development, the Silverstone-based team faltered in taking the car in the right direction.

That’s not it, as teams such as McLaren are also looking to draw inspiration from Adrian Newey and his masterful machinery – the RB19 – to inch closer to Red Bull. Whether any of these teams can succeed in bridging the gap, only time will tell.

The post F1 Expert Believes FIA Played in the Hands of Adrian Newey by Trying to Make the Sport Exciting appeared first on The SportsRush.

Speaking about this, the former Ferrari manager said on his own YouTube channel, “He now owns such a large part of the team that he won’t be under pressure anytime soon. The Mercedes board can’t just fire him because he owns a significant percentage, so he can do what he wants.”

Wolff owns 33 percent of Mercedes AMG F1 and is the Chief Executive Officer of the team. Therefore, it will not be easy for the board to fire him by pointing out the poor performances, something Ferrari has done with Mattia Binotto.

Windsor, further emphasized how Christian Horner is also one of the longest-serving team principals and he does everything to keep Adrian Newey and Red Bull happy. Even Wolff does the same in this regard as the Billionaire boss is a great businessman and can churn out more money from the Mercedes board.

How is Toto Wolff trying to bring Mercedes back to the front?

Mercedes were not the same force they were after the conclusion of the 2021 F1 season. From the onset of the new regulations in 2022, the Silver Arrows were largely the second and at times third-best team on the grid.

However, Toto Wolff is head over heels to bring the German giant back to the front like their 2014 to 2020 days. Apart from developing internally, the Austrian boss also brought James Allison to the forefront after replacing Mike Elliott this season.

Toto and Susie.

Rocking the red carpet last night at the #AutosportAwards pic.twitter.com/f80n6TyLfz

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 4, 2023

Mercedes finished this season in P2, way behind the champion Red Bull. Wolff and everyone on the team like Lewis Hamilton got fed up with the W14 by the season’s end, due to its inconsistency.

Therefore, it would take the Brackley-based team quite some time to close the gap. Even if the Silver Arrows fail to do so in the next couple of years, Wolff would still be out of danger because of his position in the team.

Apart from having a solid foundation within Mercedes, Wolff also had enough backing that saw him dodge the FIA investigation with immediate effect. Nevertheless, his ownership of the team and good rapport with the board would act as a Teflon layer, therefore, allowing him to put all his focus on the development.

The post Ex-Ferrari Manager Believes Toto Wolff Will Remain Powerful in Mercedes Despite the Team’s Poor Performance appeared first on The SportsRush.

Windsor said on his own YouTube channel, “There is a huge difference in terms of craftsmanship on the circuit. Michael had a certain kind of arrogance about him, which Max doesn’t have at all. Max is razor sharp as a racer. He is a pure racer, while Michael had a certain arrogance that said: this is my circuit.”

This is the perfect way to end our extraordinary season I’m extremely grateful for all of the hard work that’s gone into this year by each and everyone of you involved @redbullracing & @HondaRacingGLB To win 19 races in a season is just incredible It’s a privilege to be… pic.twitter.com/vOkhVPyD0k

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) November 26, 2023

He added the example of the late Ayrton Senna, “A bit the same as the Senna arrogance: this is my piece of asphalt, and no one else comes on it. Max thinks more carefully about how he gets to that piece of asphalt.” Admittedly, Verstappen leads a plain life when he’s away from the paddock.

Verstappen is often found to be racing in a simulator with his friends online, or playing FIFA. Verstappen, being a racing nerd, it’s all about racing for him, throughout the year.

Windsor also pointed out how Max Verstappen can never be like Michael Schumacher

Max Verstappen is a three-time world champion, while Michael Schumacher took the title seven times. Even if the Dutchman takes four titles in the next few years, there is one sector where the Dutchman will not be able to reach the German’s level, believes Windsor.

Schumacher, back in his days had a leadership capability that he used to bring glory days at Ferrari. The German former driver, with Jean Todt and Ross Brawn, built the team to dominate the grid. This is something Windsor doesn’t see Verstappen would be doing in the future.

“He managed to bring good people from Benetton with him at a relatively young age. Together with Jean Todt and Ross Brawn, he built the entire team at Ferrari. He built Ferrari from scratch. Michael can take a lot of the credit for that, and went on to win five more championships,” said the former Ferrari manager.

On the other hand, Windsor sees Max Verstappen finishing his F1 career in Red Bull only. The 26-year-old has his contract signed with the team till the 2028 F1 season, and it’ll be interesting to see if he decides to extend, or go try out other racing ventures.

The post Ex-Ferrari Manager Lauds Max Verstappen’s Quality That “Arrogant” Michael Schumacher Lacked appeared first on The SportsRush.

While speaking via his official YouTube channel, Windsor said (as quoted by F1 Maximaal), “I have a feeling that Bernie Ecclestone could be behind it because the magazine in which the story about a certain comment by Wolff appeared is a magazine with which he is on good terms. Of course, I don’t know for sure, but that’s what I have a feeling. He could do something that naughty, I think“.

This issue came to light after a Business F1 magazine report claimed that rival bosses have raised concerns that the Wolffs have potentially passed information discussed at their private meetings to FOM executives.

The report added that these concerns escalated when Toto Wolff himself commented at a recent meeting. These were remarks that rival team bosses felt could have only come from the FOM.

Team Statement pic.twitter.com/aUiOxteF9o

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 5, 2023

Soon after the FIA released a statement to confirm that they were investigating the Wolffs, Susie issued a strong statement to express her disgust at the same. A snippet of her statement read,

“I am deeply insulted but sadly unsurprised by the public allegations that have been made this evening. It is disheartening that my integrity is being called into question in such a manner, especially when it seems to be rooted in intimidatory and misogynistic behavior, and focused on my marital status rather than my abilities“.

Rival F1 teams plead innocence in the matter involving Susie and Toto Wolff

Rival F1 teams pleaded their innocence after the FIA claimed they were launching an investigation because one of Mercedes’ rivals had issued a complaint to them. Soon after all the rival teams clarified their stance on this grave issue, Peter Windsor expressed his concerns with the way the FIA is conducting its investigation.

The journalist does not understand why the FIA had to make it public that they were investigating the Wolffs. He believes that with all of the other nine teams having claimed that they were not the ones to push the FIA to launch this investigation, nothing is likely to come out of it.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Scuderia Ferrari (@scuderiaferrari)

Since all of Mercedes’ rivals pleaded their innocence, Windsor presumably believes that Bernie Ecclestone could have a role to play in pushing the FIA to investigate the Wolffs because of how often the 93-year-old passes controversial remarks.

The British billionaire also had a huge role to play in reigniting the Crashgate scandal controversy. Ecclestone claimed that the FIA deliberately decided not to take any action against Renault to protect the integrity of the sport. This is not the only time that the former F1 honcho’s remarks have resulted in controversy. He has often also made contentious remarks about racism.

For example, Ecclestone once shockingly claimed (as quoted by CNN) that “Black people are more racist than what White people are“. These remarks unsurprisingly did not go down well with Lewis Hamilton, who is the only black driver in the sport.

The post F1 Expert Reveals Who Could Have Put Toto Wolff in Trouble With the FIA – “He Could Do Something That Naughty” appeared first on The SportsRush.