Rosberg is “not really German” – Hamilton

F1 Fanatic Round-up

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In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton says the upcoming German Grand Prix is not a true home race for team mate Nico Rosberg.

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Hamilton: Rosberg is not German (The Guardian)

“He never stood by a German flag. He is German-Finnish-Monaco-esque, or whatever.”

FIA made right calls on Vettel/Alonso fight, says Horner (Adam Cooper’s F1 Blog)

“Charlie [Whiting] pointed out a couple of times track limits to Seb, and Alonso got a warning flag, which was for track limits. The problem is when you’ve got run-off like that, and it’s quicker, drivers are going to want to abuse it.”

Williams surprised by pace (Sky)

Rob Smedley: “My opinion of him is growing week by week. I think he’s a very, very good driver and he can become an exceptional driver. We’re lucky to have him.”

Massa wants crackdown on Merc’s formation laps (ESPN)

“The FIA say we can’t go so slow but they didn’t do anything or penalise anyone. I think if they penalise one car for that by giving them a five grid penalty for the next race, everything will change.”

Lauda critical of Raikkonen’s driving (Autosport)

“He went wide, so why does he come in balls out and then crash? Hopefully nothing happened [to hurt him], but it was unnecessary.”

France pursues Swiss firm over alleged theft of Schumacher’s medical records (The Telegraph)

“The email offers were signed off with the name Kagemusha – a Japanese term translated literally as ‘Shadow Warrior’ and the title of a 1980 film about a petty thief who stands in for a wounded samurai warlord. More recently the emails were signed off ‘Jeremy Martin’.”

Change underway at Ferrari, says Mattiacci (Reuters)

“Starting from here we need to prepare a different team for 2015. Do we need to do an announcement? No. Do we need to improve? Continuous improvement, yes. That is our position.”

Why Formula One Doesn’t Need To Change Its Social Media Strategy (Forbes)

“Very few if any other sports give as much access to the media and literally let them sit next to the superstar athletes as they relax and discuss the day’s events with their bosses in their locker rooms. F1 fans don’t have this luxury but social media does.”

Tweets

Comment of the day

Adam takes issue with Niki Lauda’s view that the barrier Raikkonen hit didn’t need replacing but it was unlikely to be hit a second time.

As unlikely as it is for someone else to crash there, the chance cannot be taken. One hour of waiting (and Silverstone making tons of money off of extra beers being sold) is well worth helping to ensure the safety of both the drivers and the marshals. Just look at the BTCC at Thruxton this year, that could have been really ugly, especially the driver (I forget who it was) that used the damaged barrier to launch into the air.

An argument could be made for speeding up the marshals by having them practice replacing elements off the barriers, but who knows how hard it was to disassemble the damaged guardrail.

There is a reason F1 hasn’t had a fatality during a grand prix weekend since 1994, and that is because the FIA do a good job monitoring all of the minor details when it comes to safety. There isn’t much the FIA do right, but safety is certainly one of the few things they have right.

Except for the excessive asphalt run-off areas. If there was a gravel trap there, the accident wouldn’t have happened the way it did. And drivers would not complain about track limits as much either.
Adam Blocker (@Blockwall2)

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On this day in F1

F1’s only race around the streets of Dallas was held 30 years ago today. In brutal heat the track fell to pieces, and Keke Rosberg emerged on top of a three-way scrap with Nigel Mansell and Alain Prost to give Williams their only win of the season, and their first with Honda power.

Mansell’s gearbox failed him just metres from the finishing line. He tried to push his Lotus across the line, but collapsed in the heat. He was classified sixth, three laps down, scoring one point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJOoSTNFGpI

Image © Daimler/Hoch Zwei

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205 comments on “Rosberg is “not really German” – Hamilton”

  1. “To be honest, Nico has never been in Germany, so he’s not really German. I remember when we used to race during karting, he never stood next to a German flag – not ever.

    “We would have to go on the start line and all the drivers would have to stand next to a grid girl in a line. The girls would be holding the flags or a sign saying Hungary or whatever, and he always stood by the Monaco one. He never stood by a German flag. He is German-Finnish-Monaco-esque, or whatever. So it would be great to win in Germany.”

    http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jul/07/lewis-hamilton-nico-rosberg-f1-rivals-mercedes

    Although I did find this picture!!
    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/07/04/article-0-1F6450FC00000578-470_634x659.jpg

    1. I don’t believe Monaco’s national squad is allowed to play unless they join FIFA, and Finland rarely gets to a tournament, so he’s has little choice in “home” football kits.

      1. And I’m American but the only jersey I have is German as well!

        1. I’m not American but I have a USA jersey (basketball)

          :)

          1. Im an Aussie and have a Canadian Flames Jersey,

      2. “Rarely” meaning never :)

        1. Nothing wrong with a bit of diplomatic language :)

    2. The Blade Runner (@)
      8th July 2014, 8:57

      Says Lewis with his mid-Atlantic drawl!

    3. Lewis is right, I think Nico used to use Finland before until some point when he changed to German.

      1. David Welter Ribeiro
        8th July 2014, 10:48

        Well, then he is wrong. Because he quite clearly says that Nico “always stood by the Monaco” flag.

        1. Well I know about the using Finland in racing at some point, but as for standing next to Monaco grid girl I don’t know so I can’t say

          1. Either way Nico does say my home grand prix when he goes to Monaco

    4. Not to worry. No doubt a correcting tweet from Lewis, telling us how deeply he respects Nico’s German-ness, isn’t far away!

    5. Lewis is such a as%hole.

    6. Here is Nico wearing a Finnish cap (Kimi’s cap) and cheering for a Finnish driver (kimi)
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3NJ1PyDzpg#t=1m40s

    7. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      8th July 2014, 13:40

      It didn’t need to be said but I think Lewis is explaining that he’s never perceived Nico as being German because he’s probably never indicated to Lewis that he was German during their kart career or during their earlier racing interactions. It’d be akin to Zidane proclaiming he’s Algerian one day because his parents are both from Algeria. He’s probably wondering why the news claim that Nico’s German.

      1. The Blade Runner (@)
        8th July 2014, 13:58

        But Nico has always had the German flag next to his name (in F1 at least). That would seem to be a bit of a giveaway when it comes to his nationaility…

        1. They race under the nationality of their passports, in Nico’s case he has both German and Finnish passports so could choose which one to race under. I guess this is why he has used both throughout his career. He doesn’t have a Monégasque passport or nationality, so won’t have ever raced under the nationality, but may still have had the flag on the grid before races.

          According to the Sky Sports story on this, in 2005 Nico said he never considered himself a German, or a Finn for that matter. He would probably have mentioned the same to Lewis before and I think that’s what Lewis will have been referring to.

          1. They race under the nationality of their passports

            I’m pretty sure it’s the lcountry that issues their licence. So if you were born and raised and live on Skid Row, Sealand, and then get an Irish license, you’ll be counted as Irish, I think.

  2. ChimpSafari
    8th July 2014, 0:25

    Lewis does have a point. I seem to remember reading somewhere (I think from Nico himself) that he only registered German nationality because it was a big country with a good motorsports heritage so easier to get sponsorship in his early career.

    1. I know many people have he same opinion on Nico’s nationality but I never thought someone would ever say that for the record. I don’t think it’s mean but the world would not be worse-off if Lewis did not say that…

    2. petebaldwin (@)
      8th July 2014, 9:59

      ….and now he drives for Mercedes! Worked out quite well for him eh!? :D

    3. Rosberg has had German nationality since birth (what with being born in Germany and having a German mother). He took out a German racing licence some time in junior formulae due to better sponsorship prospects.

      He obviously didn’t stand next to the German flag while karting since he raced with a Finnish licence then.

  3. I see his point, but don’t understand why he made the comment. It seems quite unnecessary really.

    1. Maybe, but the article doesn’t mention what Hamilton was asked. Still, whatever the reason, it’s not inaccurate ;-)

      1. “Ahead of the British GP, however, Rosberg had claimed he thought it was more of a home race for the Mercedes team based eight miles away in Brackley rather than for Hamilton.”

        I think Lewis was irked by the above comment. I like the heading on the article which says “German Grand Prix: Lewis Hamilton Pokes Fun At Nico Rosberg’s ‘Home’ Race”, let’s take it in that spirit…

        1. Sorry, I missed the link to the article. It’s…

    2. Bur really fun to read it… I was to go all mean girls. “Burn” Nico.

    3. Presumably as a response to a question along the lines of “you won your home race, knowing how that feels would you begrudge Rosberg winning his?”

    4. He probably knows better than we do whether that would offend Nico. I am “officially” British since that enables me to work in the EU, but I’m really a New Zealander, and I’m the first to say “I’m not really British”, so those remarks wouldn’t bother me.

    5. To be honest, I think it’s awful Rosberg says at 3 different weekends that it is his home grand prix (Monaco, Silverstone and Germany).

      1. Awful? Really? I don’t see the big deal. Lives in Monaco and used to walk those streets to go to school, Silverstone is 10 minutes from Mercedes’ F1 headquarters, and Germany is where he was born. And I believe Nico can speak the language can’t he? Why wouldn’t he play up his German heritage while on a German team? I think LH comes across as petty in this, and to me it doesn’t matter how the question was posed…it’s how he gave the answer. Nor does it matter what tracks NR claims are his home ones. LH’s fans are happy to point out which ones are ‘his’ tracks, as in the ones he excels at. Anyway, it’s just words, and I’m sure NR is used to it having known LH for so long and will only be invigorated by LH’s opinion if he does hear it.

    6. I too think he didn’t have to say that, maybe he was answering a direct question on the matter or he just wants to irritate Nico who as of late is pushing really hard to look as German as possible… by the way, good luck to the “Deutsche Fußballnationalmannschaft” :)

    7. Media folks have a way of setting you up with a question or leading you on a certain path with your answers, and then blowing it out of proportion by omitting certain parts of the interview, its always better to hear the interview than to read about it. This is kind of the Monaco situation, where Lewis said that “The hunger was different” and it was translated to “I am more hungrier than him”

    8. Judging by this article from the daily fail, the comments that the Guardian have used are intended jokingly, as Lewis then does the add a few more comments which the Guardian journalist chose not to include.

      Without hearing the interview then it’s difficult to judge the tone of the answer. It was an unnecessary response though, regardless of whether it’s a joke or not, Lewis could simply have said “Yes, it would be huge to beat Nico at his home race”, but then there would maybe be people complaining that he was too short with his response.

      If you don’t like a driver you’re more likely to look for something negative in whatever they do/say. I’m sure if Lewis thought Nico would be offended by what he said then he wouldn’t have said it. They may be playing games with each other’s heads at the moment but I doubt either would be truly malicious toward one another’s heritage.

      1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        8th July 2014, 13:45

        Thanks for the link – obviously taken out of context because he does admit that Germany and Monaco are his home races. He’s just perplexed that people view Nico as primarily German when obviously Nico himself never felt that way.

  4. @keithcollantine Thanks for the COTD. It is my second :)

    And Lewis is right about Nico, he is more Finnish or Monegasque than German. But I see no reason why he made the comment, unless he just wants to stir up trouble.

    1. @blockwall2 Probably to boast about his current mental strength, etc. etc.

    2. Actually, it’s even more complicated than Lewis mentioned. Nico’s father, Keke, was born in Sweden of Swedish parents and later moved to Finland and then Germany. I don’t blame Nico for not being entirely sure what nationality he is…

      1. @clive-allen

        I have it figured out, Rosberg’s heritage is so twisted up, he must be American! ;-)

        (So stated by a US citizen of Danish, Swedish, English, German, Norwegian, Scottish, Irish… descent.)

        1. @bullmello You’re a Scot then, the Scottish genes are the strongest ;)

          1. @keithedin – In my best Craig Ferguson voice: I shall wear that badge with honor! :-)

          2. My Scottishness is buried by Britishness, expect for when I project my voice in lecture theatres I have found :P

      2. @clive-allen

        Nico’s father, Keke, was born in Sweden of Swedish parents

        I don’t think this can be true. Keke was born in Sweden, but how could he be Finnish, if his parents were Swedish?

        His parents do have a Swedish last name, but that’s very common in Finland. About 5 % of Finnish people speak Swedish as their mother tongue, but they’re still as much Finns as everyone else. Besides, I don’t think Keke’s mother tongue is Swedish. After doing some research, I couldn’t find any proof that his native language isn’t Finnish and apparently his biography states that he had some trouble with living in a Swedish village, because everyone was speaking a language he didn’t know – that probably wasn’t the case if his family spoke Swedish.

        1. Keke is Finnish, was born in Sweden and his mother tongue is swedish, as is for 5% of the Finnish people (which you mentioned). Hence he has both passports. Keke is married to German woman, so Nico is 50% German, 50% Finnish (maybe 1% Swedish since he was born there ;)

        2. I couldn’t find any definitive answers on the family’s movements in Keke’s early years either, @hotbottoms. While it is true that many Finns do have Swedish names thanks, no doubt, to an ancestor having made the trip across the Baltic, there is no doubt that Keke was born in Stockholm, which gives him a Swedish element at the very least. The name is the telling factor, however – there’s a Swede in that ancestry somewhere!

          It would be interesting to know how old Keke was when he was living in a Swedish village. I’ve always assumed that the family moved to Finland when Keke was very young and so he never learned Swedish – but, if he found it difficult in the village, he must have spent a vacation there at least.

          1. Going with ancestors-way, if you dig long enough, you might change your view on Lewis also. But that’s just stupid.

    3. @blockwall2 How is he more Finnish? He doesn’t even speak the language! And afaik he also never lived there. IMO he is Monegasque more than anything.

    4. And Lewis is right about Nico, he is more Finnish or Monegasque than German.

      Nico is without a doubt more German than Finnish – he doesn’t even speak Finnish language!

      When Nico came into Formula One, MTV3 (the Finnish broadcaster of Formula One) tried to represent him as a Finn even though he didn’t race under a Finnish flag and he didn’t speak Finnish. In the results, Rosberg’s name was even written with blue color, just like other Finnish drivers. But Finns never regarded Rosberg as a Finnish driver and after a couple of years MTV3 stopped doing this. Even now, when Rosberg is fighting for the championship, MTV3 isn’t trying to represent him as a Finn.

      But I see no reason why he made the comment, unless he just wants to stir up trouble.

      I agree. I’ve never liked Rosberg before this season, but now I’ve started to hope he beats Hamilton, because after all these comments from Lewis I find Nico a lot more likeable.

    5. petebaldwin (@)
      8th July 2014, 11:50

      @blockwall2 – I am almost certain he was asked something along the lines of “so the crowd really pushed you on at your home race – what do you think your chances are of beating Nico at his home race?”

      If asked that, it would make perfect sense for Lewis to repond as he did.

  5. Firstly, sausage kerbs – use them as well.

    Secondly, I liked hearing Hamilton complain about the Santander trophy. Made a refreshing change. I was surprised he didn’t get the actual one.

    Finally, it seems like Lewis is doing the mind games again (although I didn’t actually read the article, so I could be wrong). I find is weird for some reason, that Rosberg is Finnish too, and I do wonder what it would be like if he raced under a Finnish license.

    1. Hamilton did get the proper trophy in time for the press conference – he took it in with him :-)

    2. the awkward thing is, that santander trophy was the winning design from a contest of up and coming artists/designers. LOL. whoever made it must feel like a bit of a waste now!
      it was disgusting!

      1. OmarR-Pepper (@)
        8th July 2014, 2:50

        @sato113 any link to the horrible trophy’s photo?

        1. @omarr-pepper Here’s an article with a photo of the trophy.

          It looks like a table piece that only a businessman trying to be sophisticated could love.

          1. Actually the more important thing here might be if you look where they were coming from with trophies @bforth, @omarr-pepper, @sato113. Remember up until this one, they had been handing out the smoking turd Santander logo trophies.
            Sure the quality of how it was made was sub par, and it shouldn’t replace such a great trophy as the British GP has. But the actual design of those trophies is a big step forward for Santander

          2. I think the design was okay. The execution was poor, and that the constraints of the competition meant it was still a variant of a corporate logo were the problems.

          3. @bascb i agree. it is a step forward from the last ‘turd’. which make it even more painful that the replacement was so poor!

      2. It wouldn’t have been so bad without the bit wobbling away inside, it made it look very cheap and falling apart. I had already made a comment to that effect before Hamilton did. The person making it might not have had a big say in the materials used, in fairness

      3. @sato113 Haha, well, I didn’t really dislike it as such, as the design went it was nice, but it just didn’t seem anywhere near as grand as the proper one.

    3. petebaldwin (@)
      8th July 2014, 11:53

      @strontium – Nico made a great call being German! It’s no surprise he’s at Mercedes now.

      If he was Finnish, he would have driven for McLaren instead and they’d already picked their younger driver (Lewis).

  6. I approve of the 28! Good choice Pedro, and have fun.

    Another day, another Hamilton headline, deservedly placed next to a video of Mansell being a drama queen.

    1. Ah, common. Hamilton may be a drama-queen sometimes, but Mansell wasn´t until the mid-90s. Before that he was the drama itself within the ancient greek meaning of it.

      And I do miss drivers fighting till collapse. I know, there´s no way they could under the current regulations, but somehow I also can´t really imagine those todays drivers doing something comparable. Who of the current grid would try and push, given the same situation?

  7. Haha nice one Lewis.
    Its the eighth wonder of the universe, nobody really knows which nationality Rosberg is.
    Grosjean should be Swiss too but France bought him for €80Million or so the prophecy says.

    Also, a bit unrelated to what’s in the round-up today but I’ll say it anyway: It would be nice to have more updates on Schumacher’s recovery from the family, I know they want confidentiality but we care too! We rarely hear anything.

    1. Regarding Schumacher, I suspect that the family are coming to grips with some very big changes in their lives while they begin the process of learning how to care for Michael. I don’t begrudge them pulling back from the limelight to go through this process in private. In time, perhaps when they are in a better emotional “place”, they might re-introduce Michael to his fans. But even if they chose not to bring him back into the public eye, we all know that he is cared for, and loved. What else do we really need to know?

      1. @Dwight_is said on I think your comment is extremely well said and probably very accurate.

    2. For a guy who doesn’t pay much into the exchequer. The guy has some cajones to question anybodies nationality. It now opens up the door for people to accuse him of being a tax dodger who’s loyalty lies to the Prince of Monaco and not the Queen of England. Just saying!!

      1. @c4vtr In Spain some peple call Alonso “suizo” (Swiss) because he decided to live there for fiscal reasons, Shcumi did the same and many others do, personally I don’t think leaving your country to “save” money is an act of betrayal or questionable patriotism, one has the right to reduce his tax bill without tarnishing their love for hometown.

        It’s my humble opinion.

        1. Calling it your humble opinion does not make it less wrong… ;)
          In truth, it is and should be rather odious to any ordinary (read non-millionaire) member if society to see someone dodge taxes. How do you expect schools to be built, or police, ambulance drivers or firemen to be paid for, by charitable donations from the top 1% ? Good luck when your house catches fire or if you ever are in an accident that requires medical attention relying on the kindness of the rich… For god’s sake, being rich is not laudable in and of itself, it is usually a sign of being anti-social and greedy, but that’s just my humble opinion too. BTW, F1 drivers are NOT HEROES, they are entertainers (sadly few sportsmen, if any, remain in today’s F1) and are disgustingly well compensated for their considerable skill – the real heroes today are the poor mug on a negotiated public salary who run into a burning building or are expected to face down a gun or knife. F1 drivers (or anyone with a mega-yacht moored in Monaco) should see how most of the rest of the world lives, in poverty.

          1. @abbinator so Alonso, Hamilton, Rosberg, Schumacher, Massa and many others don’t like their countries because they do not agree with its fiscal policy? Or they’re just a greedy bunch?

            I think they decision to move is debatable but judge their love for their nations on that?

    3. Regarding the latest Schumacher news, or on his wife rather, Bild are reporting she is “smiling again” https://twitter.com/NicolaBILD/status/485928945398079489

  8. Aqib (@aqibqadeer)
    8th July 2014, 0:59

    it will be interesting to see the 18-inch wheels today at silverstone and when do the tests start today

    1. They’re on Maldonado’s car, so at least we’ll find out how high they bounce.

      1. @bullfrog @aqibqadeer And how much impact they can absorb

  9. There are times when I wish Hamilton would take on Kimi as his interview coach…

    1. But this is funny!

    2. For the media, Hamilton is the gift that just keeps on giving.

    3. Kimi teaching PR to the drivers… As much as I would absolutely love that, I have to say that the articles we all love would quickly become quite brief! :)

      “So Fernando, why did you go outside of the track?”
      -“I went wide.”

      “Jenson, fantastic result in front of your home crowd. How does it feel?”
      -“Good.”

      “Kimi, why did you crash on the wellington straight?”
      -“A bump.”

      etc.

      1. The articles we all love

        Speak for yourself.

        1. Well maybe “love” is a strong word, but for us fanatical F1 fans, any article is appreciated.

          1. each to his own I guess.

    4. I think the sort of answers Kimi gives just show how rubbish most of the questions he is asked are.

      If you want somebody to expound in their answer ask them to instead of giving them a yes/no questions and being surprised when they answer yes or no.

      Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd8ij8l1q8Y

      That’s lazy journalism, and in my view dealt with appropriately.

      1. maarten.f1 (@)
        8th July 2014, 6:18

        Haha, that is just so funny. Serves them right for asking such a question though. Love the look on the faces of the other drivers

      2. @maarten-f1 Most if not all F1 drivers use a simulator, so what’s wrong with that question?

        1. It was asked to the wrong person. Who in that room would have been unable to predict such an answer from Raikkonen?

          Besides, the focus of the question was so narrow, and, has been said elsewhere, if you allow somebody the opportunity to give a “yes” or “no” answer then you can’t be too upset when that’s all you get back.

          We moan about the limited pr driven answers we get from today’s drivers without really blaming the poor journalism that leads to them.

          Whoever got the “Nico’s not German” answer from Hamilton obviously got both the question, and the person they were asking it of, spot on!

      3. @maarten-f1 @keithcollantine @andy-m
        The journalist who is asking that question is Heikki Kulta from Turun Sanomat. He’s very respected Formula One journalist in Finland and he has often been the first one to report news related to Finnish drivers. Kimi must know him very well, so he was either playing a joke on his friend or then he’s annoyed about something that Kulta has written – most likely the first one. Either way, I don’t think his short answer had a lot to do with the question itself.

        1. And also since the journalist was finnish, he was happy with Kimi’s answer, since he’s used to short answers by fellow finns so all good there. I liked the way Kimi treated the BBC interviewer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbmjSHFde9Y

    5. Yeah that would be good.

      I don’t dislike Hamilton, and have no doubt he is one of the fastest drivers out there, but I’m seriously becoming fed up with the way he starts moaning about everything when it isn’t going correct, then the moment it does he feels the need to come out with this load of sugar, and tries to say things against Nico (which I am yet to see happen the other way round).

      As for Nico’s nationality, if he wants to consider himself German then that is his choice, and has nothing to do with Hamilton. I have two nationalities, and if I want to chose my (what I would consider) ‘foreign’ one to live by then I will, and there is no debate about that, no space for other people’s opinion. It is my decision, just like it is Nico’s.

      1. As for Nico’s nationality, if he wants to consider himself German then that is his choice, and has nothing to do with Hamilton. I have two nationalities, and if I want to chose my (what I would consider) ‘foreign’ one to live by then I will, and there is no debate about that, no space for other people’s opinion. It is my decision, just like it is Nico’s.

        What I do find odd though is that international sport events (such as F1) force people into choosing a single one, like “you have to decide which flag and anthem will be connected to you, and that will stay throughout your career. Any other heritage you have will from now on be a sidenote only”.

        1. @crammond I agree. I never understood what is wrong with having two flags with you, especially if it is more or less 50:50.

  10. And Lewis lives where?

    1. Switzerland

      1. He lives in Switzerland, but there’s a big difference between moving to a country at four weeks and growing up there and moving somewhere in your mid-twenties. I’ve lived in Spain for several years now and I have a near native ability in Spanish. Have I ever been mistaken for being Spanish? Never.

      2. Monaco isn’t it? In the same building as Nico I believe.

        1. To evade taxes. Nice guy he is.

          1. @xtwl I think it classes as tax ‘avoidance’, not tax ‘evasion’. There is a difference because tax avoidance is legal but tax evasion is not ;)

          2. I can’t imaging I’m going to change your mind, but this vitriol on his tax status is absurd. He lives in Monaco, so why on earth should he pay taxes to the UK? The reason you pay taxes is to fund the services you are using or could use. Hence paying the taxes of the country you live in. It’s pretty straightforward and a valid choice.

            It’s not as if he doesn’t contribute to the UK. The team he works for – and is a critical part of – employs a large number of people, most (if not all of whom) are in the UK, who all pay taxes here.

            If I had the kind of money Lewis has, I would seriously consider living in Monaco, regardless of any tax situation.

          3. How is that tax evasion? You pay taxes for the country you live in partly to cover your use of national services. If you live abroad then you aren’t using those services, so why on Earth should you still contribute taxes?

  11. @christiansylt, gives us Bernies history with digital media, I found several conclusions illogical not to mention that the headline seems inconsistent with the summation, the one thing that does shine through is that Bernie has lousy timeing.

    1. Spot on! i was thinking the same when i read the article!

    2. Haven’t read it yet @hohum, but thank you for confirming the author (seeing how it was completely following Bernies line already made me guess at that)

    3. Actually, I think the most to the point is the opening part @hohum (I now read it), because it shows that Bernie is just afraid of burning his fingers (as he did with the digital tv idea) again. Would be interesting to read further thoughts from @GT_racer on this!

  12. Does Lewis have a “mind games” coach or something….?

    It was fantastic to see Lewis win on Sunday but again Lewis seems to be distracting himself by trying to “play mind games” with rosberg and at the same time it seems to end up confusing and distracting him more than it does Rosberg.

    The Monaco debacle seemed to leave him very paranoid about his place in the team or rather, his relationship with the team, and just when you think he has turned a corner….here we go again.

    Fine, he may be accurate in his assessment of Rosbergs nationality and we do not know what leading question he was asked but please Lewis, just drop the attempts at mind games and bloody drive!

    1. please Lewis, just drop the attempts at mind games and bloody drive!

      Exactly. They aren’t even affecting Nico in any way.

  13. Hamilton is “not really Focused” – dpod

    1. He’s quite focused on Nico!

  14. Niki Lauda is no dummey, Autosport have published a more complete less controversial account of his crticism of the delay in re-starting the race in which he suggests (as several of us have) a portable tyre barrier should have been quickly put in place and racing resumed within 15 minutes, I agree, portable tyre barriers have a long and effective history in motorsport, unfortunately the whole world works on a CYA basis.

  15. Sadly the formation lap is a problem for both ends of the grid, if the leaders speed up and the tail end slow down the leaders suffer sitting on the grid with engine temps riseing while their tyres are cooling.

    1. petebaldwin (@)
      8th July 2014, 12:00

      @hohum – Surely the solution to be fair to everyone is to say that at the safety car line, you have to line up 2 by 2 and drive to your grid spot. All your burnouts etc have to be done before then and you all drive to the grid together?

      1. There are many tracks where that wouldn’t be possible because the final corners are to tight to allow them to run 2 wide.

  16. Mark in Florida
    8th July 2014, 2:42

    Hamilton just can’t keep his estrogen levels under control. Apparently post race pms kicked in and subverted the male portion of his brain. Lewis is a talented driver with a untalented mouth. He can’t drive without some kind of drama going on to motivate himself. The only thing is Nico won’t give him any so he has to invent it himself. How pathetic…

    1. Nico is just plain BORING!

    2. Did you really need to resort to sexism and name calling? Now THAT is what I call pathetic.

    3. The level of contempt in that post is matched only by my contempt for anyone who stoops to such a base level of offensiveness.

      1. Indeed, @raceprouk. Hamilton’s remarks might be a clumsy attempt at mind games, but this comment is probably best defined by the commenter himself:

        How pathetic…

  17. OmarR-Pepper (@)
    8th July 2014, 2:47

    Nico AKA “no land’s man”

    1. COTD for certain.

    2. +1 LOL
      BTW, the whole flag and anthem thing… A bit silly by today’s global village standards to see this (even at the Olympics)… What actual pride can anyone take in someone else’s accomplishments just because they are from the same nation?

  18. So far, I like this Mattiacci guy at Ferrari. He is saying and (hopefully) doing the right things. Baby steps and continual improvement. They are in bad form by Ferrari standards, but Alonso is a heck of a driver and the car is, at least in his hands, a top 10 car. If Mattiacci can manage things right (and he is a good manager), they will be closer to the top in the coming years. He is assembling a good team around him, and if Alonso sticks around, they could be a force to be reckoned with.

  19. I agree with Massa that the formation laps that Mercedes lead are often incredibly slow, but saying that is it not the following drivers responsibility to leave enough room to do his burn-outs? I noticed that at the safety car restart Rosberg backed the pack up and then bolted while others were trying not to hit each other. I do feel that there should be some kind of delta the drivers should have to drive to on the formation laps that way everyone following would know how fast the can or can’t go and also it would help them all keep the distance they need for rear tyre warming.

    It’s a while since Massa has been that far back on the grid and I’m certain I’ve seen the back markers have this problem in the past, but no-one listens to them.
    My answer would be to lead the formation with the safety car and stick to the 10 car lengths as maximum gap. Then the pace is determined for them.
    Simples!
    Shame that word is missing from the FIA dictionary, along with common sense and decisive!

    1. Spot on.

    2. A time delta or safety car sounds like a good idea to me. Although i was also thinking, does the 10 car lengths rule apply during the formation lap? Because if not, the cars at the back could simply wait another 30 seconds before setting off, then drive the formation lap at their own speed. Of course, this would make it 10 times worse for those at the front as they sit waiting for the grid to form, but i was just wondering if there was a rule in place.

  20. I would love to see my good friend Nico win his home event.I have entered him in The 1000 lakes. Regards Lewis

  21. I would be interested in hearing what question Hamilton was asked to elicit that response because it was probably pretty loaded, but I don’t suppose we ever will. The question of Nico’s nationality is an interesting one, and it is something I have often thought about. I was an expat kid and I’m living as an expat in the Middle East now, but nothing changes the fact that I claim and identify most with the nationality of my birth, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have a soft spot for the nation I was raised in. I can see why Nico chose to race under the German banner, it is probably the one he most identifies with, even though he did at times call Monaco his “home” race this season. The world is a small place now, things like nationality are no longer as clear cut. Nico pinned his colours to a mast, so we should respect that.

    Oh, and I can’t not say: Another week, another “We know how what our problems are and we know how to fix them” article from Ferrari. :)

    1. I agree on that one @geemac

      Nico pinned his colours to a mast, so we should respect that.

      Interesting to learn that even Keke was not all that clearly finnish (comment above about his Swedish decent).
      Yeah, Ferrari. Believe it when they really show it on track.

    2. Interesting that the question being asked is under scrutiny with drivers, but hardly ever with teams. I’ve noticed this about McLaren and Red Bull too; it’s not as if they come storming in to the press office, yell loudly about solving their issues, then fly off like a bat in the night. Probably all that reporters are asking *any team that’s not Mercedes* right now is ‘why aren’t you beating Mercedes’.

      1. @npf1 True, I was just following a comment I made last week about the constant stream of Ferrari articles which follow that theme. Every time Ferrari answer question about their performance they give the same answer and it is getting a bit tedious. Mattiachi isn’t to blame, the press are I suppose for constantly asking the same questions. I do like his style, he is more Todt than Domenicalli when dealing with the press, which is probably what the Scuderia need at the moment.

    3. Total Precall
      8th July 2014, 8:18

      From the Telegraph:

      “The Briton then could not resist offering a slight dig at Rosberg when asked if winning at the German’s home race, in Hockenheim in less than two weeks’ time, would have any extra significance.”

      So presumably, the question was something along the lines of “Would winning Nico Rosberg’s home race in Hockenheim have any extra significance to you?”

      1. Thanks for that.

        1. I think that it doesn’t or shouldn’t matter how the question is asked. These guys should know by now a baited question vs a more genuine one, and either way there are diplomatic answers and there are petty ones. They don’t have to take the bait and can always take the high road.

          Anyway it should be neither here nor there. I’ve always loved JV’s answer (btw, raced as and has always claimed to be Canadian in spite of living in Monaco from about the age of 7 and going to school in Switzerland, and being Multi-lingual)…when asked to JV if he would get an extra boost from racing in front of his home crowd in Montreal he simply said ‘no…that would mean I wasn’t trying 100% at all the other tracks.’

  22. I don’t agree with Horner too often, but this is very accurate:

    “Charlie [Whiting] pointed out a couple of times track limits to Seb, and Alonso got a warning flag, which was for track limits. The problem is when you’ve got run-off like that, and it’s quicker, drivers are going to want to abuse it.”

    1. @bascb I tend to agree with Horner a fair bit, because I’ve found him to tell it from his point of view, ALL THE TIME, so I know exactly what his motives are. This really isn’t different than Ferrari, although Ferrari do pretend to say things for the good of the entire series, when it really only benefits them.
      However, back on topic, I also agree with the above comment whole heartedly, I think grass is often under utilised.

      1. True enough, with Horner you always know that he is speaking for the interests of Red Bull, and only Red Bull, no confusion there @dragoll!

  23. Lewis is as Monegasque/Swiss as Nico is. In fact, he’s probably more Grenadine than British, but eh…
    Grosjean used to be Swiss too, and in GP2, Marciello could have been Swiss, Leal could have been Italian, and Cecotto could have been German.
    Either way, Rosberg is essentially Swedish, if we’re condisering ethnic origins.

    1. Either way, Rosberg is essentially Swedish, if we’re condisering ethnic origins.

      Isn’t his mother German? He also never learnt Finnish, so I think this is why he probably identifies most as German. And I don’t think he is Monegasque – not so easy to get citizenship there.

      1. @mike-dee Yes that’s right, his mother is German. I was referring to Swedish because Keke is a Swedish-Finn, not a Uralic Finn like Kimi or Mika.

    2. he’s probably more Grenadine than British

      You’re getting into dangerous territory saying things like that (and not least because half of his ancestry is white British). I’m sure their are plenty of people in the UK born to immigrant parents or grandparents who, much though they appreciate their foreign heritage, would see the marginalisation of their Britishness as quite offensive. What matters should be more down to where he was born and raised.

      1. That surely applies to Rosberg too. Hamilton would do better to leave well alone.

        1. How? Rosberg wasn’t raised in Germany was he? That’s Hamilton’s point.

  24. Rosberg is not German

    So what?

    We do not live in stone age anymore, people often move from one country to another. Juan Manuel Fangio’s parents came from Italy. Adrian Sutil’s father is an Uruguayan. Alex Yoong’s mother comes from the UK. Romain Grosjean was born in Switzerland and now represents France. After all, Hamilton’s grandparents also come from Grenada, not the UK. These are just a few examples.

    Moreover, I am not German, do not have German relatives and have never lived in Germany. Still, I love the country and would not mind representing it in any competition. Surely, Rosberg has more reasons to be proud of Germany.

    1. Is it time to abandon national anthems at the end of the Grands Prix?
      It seems a little silly to have an anthem played (particularly for the constructor) that has little or no relation to the place where the car was actually designed, made or operated; viz Red Bull.
      With international sponsors appearing on virtually every car and overall, there seems little point in ceremonially tying the team or driver to a particular territory.

      1. @TimothyKatz I have thought about that as well. Totally agree about anthem for constructor, that should be scrapped. Drivers should be allowed to pick their favourite song instead of being forced to listen to the national anthem. Imagine Massa winning a race and then standing on the podium, while something like “…rise like a phoenix, out of the ashes, seeking rather than vengeance retribution…” is played. OK, that is probably just my wild imagination but I still feel we do not need national anthems in F1 anymore.

        1. Drivers should be allowed to pick their favourite song instead of being forced to listen to the national anthem.

          Hilarious. But someone, let’s say Mr. Lewis . . . no no, let’s just say Mr. H. Now this Mr. H started on pole, and wanted to play some version of “I came, I saw, I conquered” after his win. Then on the last lap, he runs wide and another dude, say Mr. R, beats him to the win. Will Mr. H still play ” . . . conquered”?

          1. Well, the national anthem is played only for the winning driver.

      2. Is it time to abandon national anthems at the end of the Grands Prix?

        Yes.

      3. Is it time to abandon national anthems at the end of the Grands Prix?

        No. The drivers still represent their country as well as their teams and themselves in sports @peterbaldwin

        Just for comparison, I saw a nice image of the Swiss football team showing who would be welcome in the country if they took on the new anti-immigration laws there (i.e. showing only multi generation Swiss born) and it had only 3-4 players.
        And look at other countries as well in many sports (Russia complained about Russians contesting for other countries “taking away” medals from Russia in Sochi), its long been pretty normal to “adopt” sporters for national teams.

        If Marussia can be Russian, Mercedes can be German, Caterham can be Malaysian without regards to where the team is based, why would we limit a driver to where he currently lives (suddenly the Swiss and Mongasque sports teams would get a big boost) or to where his parents came from (Rosberg has one Swede from Finland and a German mother but lives mostly in Monaco, compare Hamilton having one from the UK and one from Grenada but he lives in Monaco too).

        1. sorry, @peterbaldwin, I had wanted to include @timothykatz

        2. The drivers still represent their country

          Do they? They are random individuals, not chosen by their country and most of them have not chosen the respective country. I´m not entirely sure how many of the drivers would actually choose to have a nations flag shown as a symbol besides their name or a national anthem played on their wins if they weren´t made to.

          1. Well, sure enough Rosberg has chosen his country (Germany), Grosjean did the same (choosing French over Swiss), I am pretty sure that goes for others as well.

            Its not too usual for race driver to do so, but in other sports it far from uncommon to naturalize a player/athlete to have them defend the national team or compete for medals for a country.

          2. I’m not entirely sure how many of the drivers would actually choose to have a nations flag shown as a symbol besides their name or a national anthem played on their wins if they weren’t made to.

            Most I would guess.

        3. @bascb. I don’t think Caterham can be Malaysian, or Red Bull Austrian, or Maclaren half-AbuDhabi-ish (or whatever the owners are). They are international teams composed of a multitude of nationalities. Saying they are French or Italian or Russian ignores those facts and only recognises where the money comes from that pays for their existence.
          In days gone by, British teams raced in British Racing green, Italian teams raced in red and the French in blue etc. But that finally disappeared in the sixties and I think it’s time we abandoned the idea of pretend national domicile for teams as well.
          Turning to the drivers, the only reason that a nationality was chosen was to get the most advantageous FIA license. Let’s look at how other professional, individual sports present their stars; golf makes no reference to a winners nationality at the end of a tournament, nor does tennis. In these multi-million dollar sports, the appeal of the player goes beyond national borders and local allegiance and reaches out to a real worldwide loyalty – via the companies that sponsor them. So should it be in F1; concentrate on the player and their achievements, forget their nationality.

          1. +1
            Couldn’t have said it better myself. Djokovic is mentioned as being Serbian, but they don’t drape him in the flag and play the anthem at the end of Wimbledon. Nationalism is a bit ugly and outdated in the 21st century, much like religious affiliation.

          2. Or race for that matter…

  25. Take it yeezy with the Gold Trophy there Lewis….. :D

  26. Hamilton’s obsession with Nico is becoming disgusting…each week he has to take a dig on him…he lived in riches, F1 was granted for him, Germany is not his home race etc.
    The most entitled to say wether it’s his home race or not is Rosberg as he’s the only one who knows how he feels in Germany.
    I used to support Lewis in this year title fight but after reading all this weekly cr*p, not anymore. If he continues giving interviews like that, expect Vettel-esque booings on the podium by the end of the season, no matter how brilliant he drives.
    P.S Under which flag do you stand when you pay your taxes Lewis?

    1. I think its just funny. But hardly cutting it as for taking a dig at your competitors, we have seen far better ones in the past @klaas!

  27. Clearly Nico is not German.
    But why point out the obvious?
    But then again why not?

  28. The naivety of F1 Fanatic posters about the way journalism works never ceases to amaze me. A fuller version of Hamilton’s comments, reported by Ian Parkes of the UK’s Press Association can be found at, of all places, the Mail website.
    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/formulaone/article-2684222/Lewis-Hamilton-says-Nico-Rosberg-Monaco-not-Germany-ahead-Hockenheim.html

    1. The quotes are the quotes no matter the spin the author wants to put on them, and no matter whether questions are baited or not it is up to the one being asked, how to answer. It’s a bit surprising to me LH would want to try to shade NR’s nationality when he too is driving for a German team that can enjoy some extra marketability with Nico at the next race. It’s not just Nico that should be busier media-wise next week, like LH says he was ahead of Silverstone, it is the whole team which LH is a part of that will be front and center particularly in Germany.

  29. Funny how Horner takes this kind of stance when his driver comes out on top. If it had been the other way around his tune would be different.

  30. Except for the excessive asphalt run-off areas. If there was a gravel trap there, the accident wouldn’t have happened the way it did. And drivers would not complain about track limits as much either.

    I get what he’s saying but, how many bad accidents would we have had if the run-off areas where gravel traps.. much more than we have had in recent history, so is it bad to have them? I don’t think so, safety first.
    It was Kimi who rejoined the track after cutting some gras, which he showed he was good at, but not with a Ferrari F1 ;)

    1. Its also important to remember that the new layout was originally designed for the MotoGp bikes, That tarmac runoff there & in other places around the track is there primarily for the bikes.

      Falling off & sliding across tarmac is far safer for the bikes/riders than hitting uneven grass or gravel & starting to roll uncontrollably.

  31. Lewis just can’t help it can he and he risks making himself look foolish to be honest, with another dig at Nico, or a comment that doesn’t come out right. I mean what’s the point of it? Nico was born in Germany, his mother is German, and he has a German-Finnish passport. He is a German national by most standards, races under that nationality and has done for years.

    His dad, Keke has had very little to do with Finland since the 1980’s, being was born in Sweden, but came to Finland when he was a toddler (as was common in those days) and lived in an area which is about as Finnish as you can get. But, Nico has had zero to do with Finland, doesn’t speak Finnish and has no connection with the country.

    Nico can’t really help the fact he was shipped to Monaco, where he grew up and went to school and lives today. Of course he regards Monaco as his home and he is certainly regarded as a local boy in the Principality. Half the F1 field could claim Monaco as their home race, as so many of them live there!

    To jut say Nico’s home race isn’t at really at Germany might have been better, but to say he isn’t German is just silly. On the week Nico is getting married, on the run up to the Grand Prix, Lewis isn’t doing very well in the PR department. It’s just makes a mess, it’s not even mind-games or trying to get a psychological advantage. Mercedes must be happy too.

    1. Read the full text of Hamilton’s remarks, and their jokey context, and calm down. This overreaction is the reason why journalists put topspin on their articles. It’s so easy to get fans frothing at the mouth over Hamilton. Just look at how many comments this thread has generated within a few hours! Can you imagine the furore if the schoolgirl spat between Alonso and Vettel had been between Hamilton and Rosberg???? God, it doesn’t bear thinking about …

      1. Jokey or not LH is not being very sensitive to the fact that he himself is driving for a German team that is about to enjoy the extra marketability of racing in Germany, and he himself should also be a part of the busier media week like he experienced ahead of Silverstone, not just NR. But rather in his ‘jokey’ answers he has chosen to make it about questioning NR’s nationality, again, while driving for a German team that may well see him with another WDC this year, to go along with the other WDC he won with a German powered car.

        What would have been wrong with answering the question, no matter how it was worded…’Nico has German heritage in his blood so this is going to be a great weekend for the whole team to be back racing in it’s home country.’

        1. Nothing is wrong with that, but we are not perfect all of the time.

  32. I was fascinated by the interview with Niki Lauda where he said the Mercedes drivers don’t come to him for advice. Hamilton would be wise to talk to Dr Lauda about head management.

    1. When did Niki Lauda become a Doctor?

    2. Given some of the stupid things Lauda said about Sunday’s race, it may have been wise from Hamilton.

    3. paul sainsbury
      8th July 2014, 13:20

      Dr Lauda?

      When do that happen?!

  33. Lewis might want to keep in mind that Rosberg is as German as Lewis is black..

    1. What does that mean?

      1. Hamilton identifies as a black driver. He is proud to be the first black driver in F1. But his mother is white – he’s mixed race. However I can’t see anyone, jokingly or otherwise, publicly questioning his right to describe himself as black. Why is it ok for him to question Rosberg’s right to identify himself as German?

        There are a large number of black people who feel very resentful about mixed race people identifying as black and claiming achievements on behalf of black people.

        1. You’ve just told me all I need to know to disregard any comment you ever make in future. Disgraceful.

          1. Er… ok? I don’t really understand your position. I’m simply pointing out that if someone like Rosberg (or anyone for that matter) were to publically question Hamilton’s right to identify as black, then there would (rightly?) be outrage. And yet Hamilton saying Rosberg isn’t really German on the basis that he’s only half German, is apparently fine.

            The question of whether or not mixed race people should identify as black is, in my opinion, one for black people to answer and not something I really have an opinion on.

        2. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
          8th July 2014, 14:00

          @MazdaChris Mixed race people??? Do you mean that my kids who are half Asian half Caucasian should not be allowed to identify with any of their parents races?

          I think you should issue an apology here to the many people that your post has offended.

          Read the article and you’ll see that Lewis concedes that Monaco and Germany are Nico’s home turf. He’s just pointing to the fact that he didn’t know that until recently as Nico would stand under the flag of Monaco always. He’s not saying anything that the Germans don’t already know – Nico Rosberg is as German as Pete Sampras is Greek and as Zinedine Zidane is Algerian.

          1. I don’t feel I have any responsibility for highlighting opinions of other people which I have made pretty clear are not my own.

            My wife is mixed race and her perspective is to take on board all of the positive things about her racial and cultural heritage. In the same way that I embrace both my Irish and my English background. But she doesn’t fully identify as either of her racial backgrounds, but sees herself more of an amalgamation of the two. My personal opinion is that people should take whatever they wish from their lineage, regardless, and that it’s something that’s personal to you and not something that people have any right to claim.

            But I can also understand specifically the reason why black people feel that they are disempowered by people who are not from a fully black background claiming ownership of achievements on behalf of black people.

            It’s an absolute minefield, and a hugely controversial subject which I find fascinating given my background. I’m just very surprised that Hamilton would take the stance that Rosberg shouldn’t identify as German because he isn’t fully German, while at the same time identifying as black when he isn’t fully black. The two viewpoints seem to be conflicting.

            But of course if you’d like to just have a kneejerk reaction about my post and make assumptions about me and my background. Go right ahead. I’m not apologising for offense you’ve conjured up out of nothing, however.

          2. I find your remarks offensive, Michael, and think you should apologize for them.

            Nico Rosberg is as German as Pete Sampras is Greek and as Zinedine Zidane is Algerian.

            Or as Hamilton is British.

          3. Chip on shoulder, anyone? Watch out or it will be handbags at dawn… I see where MazdaChris is coming from and agree about the inherent hypocrisy in Ham’s position, but surely you’ve hot to realise the “not really black” or “not really British” comments will be all some people see… The best thing to do us to stop using labels to describe people, as the lines have become rather blurred in the last 50-100 years as an inevitable result of European colonisation in the 18th century to present…

  34. Lewis is right. He is half Finnish and Half German that has lived many years in Monaco.
    But Lewis, you are not 100% British either.

    1. Nobody is 100% British, we’re all descendants of immigrants.

      Cpt Darling: I’m as British as Queen Victoria !
      Cpt Blackadder: So your father’s German, you’re half German and you married a German ?

  35. mattshaw85 (@)
    8th July 2014, 12:30

    The British Monaco resident with an american twang suggesting his Monaco residing neighbour isn’t German. Superb.

    1. sums it up really. Good thing we can all take it as a joke though.

    2. “american twang”? you need to get out more if you think Lewis sounds american lol.

  36. What is nationality? Is it where you were born? Is it where you have lived for most of your life? Is it what your passport says you are? Is it where your father/mother/grandparents were from?

    It’s a strange concept.

    1. I’d say its based on a mix of the culture you grew up in/identify with, including language and where your family comes from/is based and passport that more or less confirms it.

  37. If Ferrari is so keen on improving the team I am curious if they are going to replace that terrible pull-rod front suspension with normal and adjustable push-rod suspension.
    It is horrible to see Rai struggling with the front of the car due to this. The Red Bull cars had the best aero package without such aerodynamic gimmick. So what is the reason to be the one team to use that if only 2 drivers (Alo and Ham, I assume) will be able to extract driveability from that?

  38. Daniel (@collettdumbletonhall)
    8th July 2014, 14:04

    Reuters make it pretty clear Lewis is joking though.

  39. LOL ! And what’s his problem with Rosberg’s nationality, under what flag he’s racing, playing football etc ? Just bla bla bla…

  40. this brings up a topic i don’t really lke. tax avoidance by drivers. don’t like it when drivers move to ‘tax havens’ like switzerland or monaco.

    as i’m swiss, i know how the system works for a normal person and also for celebrities. (i presume it’s the same in other countries, but i’ll give a quick explanation nontheless)

    for normal people: a person with a yearly income of 90’000 CHF will have to pay app. 7-8% of it, depending on the persons marital status, they’ll have to pay more or less. they say you always need to assume you’ll have to pay one monthly income for your taxes.

    celebrities: get flat-rate taxes, for example let’s assume bernie ecclestone has a yearly income of 500 million CHF (est.), for which he would have to pay 7-8% of it for his taxes. but since the town he lives in gets a lot of money from him anyway, they make themselves look good by offering him a unique tax-contract, saying he doesn’t have to pay the 40 million CHF a normal person would have to. instead he just haves to pay 15 million (est.) every year and bernie of course thinks “well, if any town wants to have my 15 millions, let’s have them fight for it and see how low the offers will get.” the town still gets 15 million CHF more than they would without bernie living there. that’s a definition of “tax haven”.

    this is how the system works and why switzerland has a lot of international celebrities living in it. that and a beautiful scenery, of course :)

    i think that’s wrong however. why do you deny your (so-called) home country the money they’d get from you? and what gives you the right to still race under that flag if you don’t even live there anymore? this is a problem i’ve been having for a long time, since i started watching f1 in 2001 and lead to the first driver i disliked because of the tax dodge, michael schumacher.

    1. I agree with you, but pretty much all the drivers do it. I’d like to think I’d stay in the Uk and pay 40% if I ever earnt what Hamilton does, but who knows. Even everyone’s best mate Jenson Button is a tax dodger, but you know its much easier for everyone to pick on Hamilton.

      It’s a shame that society doesn’t create people that feel they should pay something back. Nobody earnt it without some help from the state in earlier life, including Hamilton and Button.

  41. When answering questions from a pen journalist/reporter one never knows how one’s word are going to be rendered on paper. In the best of cases, it is very difficult to convey tones, inflections, emphasis, accents and nonverbal gestures in a written piece.

    On top of this, many readers are not rigorous while reading and misinterpret what is written or miss the point entirely.

    It is written in the article that in an interview previous to the race, Nico Rosberg felt that Silverstone was more Mercedes’ home race -being 8 kilometers away from the track- than Lewis’.

    Therefore the stimulus for depriving Nico of a claim to the German Grand Prix.

    Such a storm in a cup of tea!

  42. Ha Ha Ha! i love it, Lewis has to be the wind-up merchant of all time, im amazed the ease at which he gets his detractors all bent out of shape, what we are witnessing here is a true masterclass, and there are people who still believe he doesn’t know how to play mind games, Chapeau to you sir.

  43. Homo-sapiens from the planet Earth say the strangest things…

  44. Even though Lewis does have a point, and I am a Lewis fan, he should have worded his sentences better as that sounds a little rude!

  45. Michael Brown (@)
    8th July 2014, 20:40

    Tarmac run offs are safer than gravel and grass but they bring the issue of drivers abusing the limits.

  46. @keithcollantine

    You link a lot of articles with interviews of Hamilton, more often than not discussing his team mate,

    Is Nico hiding from the press, or does he genuinely not say as much about Hamilton as Hamilton says about Rosberg?

  47. “I was actually there when he said it and I think it was actually the person interviewing who said those questions and Lewis didn’t really answer much really,” Rosberg said.

    http://www1.skysports.com/f1/news/24207/9376107/nico-rosberg-has-downplayed-reports-that-lewis-hamilton-said-he-wasn8217t-german

    Maybe now you should all apologize for being so vile to the guy for comments he never made. You have all been manipulated by the media. As always.

    1. That quote from Rosberg barely makes any sense, and stops well short of denying the Hamilton quotes are accurate.

      If Mercedes genuinely believed he had been misquoted I’m sure they’d set the record straight – as they did the last time.

      1. Do you actually expect Mercedes to respond every time there’s a Daily Mail type of headline?

  48. It’s obvious these guys spend far to much time out of the car.

    I mean they have 3 FP’s and 3 short Q’s then a 90 minute Race on a race weekend , Testing excluded,

    To much time in front of media , not enough time in cars,

  49. I have always thought Nico Rosberg is so interesting and cool person just because he is half-Finnish. Finns are quite popular here in Germany.

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