The cult of #teamLH

 I get it. Your favourite driver didn't win the F1 World Championship. For an EIGHTH time. You need someone to blame. You absolutely refute any other possible point of view in regards the ending of the 2021 Abu Dhabi GP. EVERYONE else is wrong. Someone is responsible, and must hang...

And yet, the reality is that Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton to the title, courtesy of winning more races, leading more laps and ultimately, getting more points. The same as any other champion in the sports 72 year history.

So what is my point? This new breed of F1 'fan', the snowflake netflix generation shows outrage more than ever before. I don't speak Dutch, I have no idea what was said last season towards Lewis from the Max fans, but I have no doubt it wasn't very complimentary! The 'cult of #teamLH', the blessed one's fanbase are a cut above though. They are deluded, with the belief that their hero is the only racer in F1 worthy of praise, titles & is ALWAYS the wronged party. Death threats hanged out to Michael Masi & Nicholas Latifi. Neither of which were in charge of Mercedes horrendous tyre strategy, neither of which deserve the torrent of abuse they have received. 

I'm not going to repeat my views on the season ending race. I spelt it out in the last blog. I stand by my belief that Masi was damned if he did, and damned if he didn't, and ultimately did what the TEAMS asked for - rightly or wrongly. I'm also not going to spell out the amount of times Lewis benefitted from the rules, weird stewarding or Max's misfortune. I did that too...

I have seen a shirt today, available on redbubble proclaiming 'Lewis Hamilton - EIGHTH WORLD CHAMPION'. He is neither Juan Manuel Fangio (8th season winner in '57), nor is he Jim Clark (8th different F1 champion). The owner proclaimed she was going to proudly wear it to Silverstone. Who cares if it's inaccurate, and in the words of Donald Trump, FAKE NEWS. I've seen a letter written to Laureus, complaining that Max has been nominated for an award. Any motorsport related post on Twitter gets hundreds of ridiculous comments, totally unrelated to the post. 

I admit I may poke them from time to time. This is nothing new, I've had a tendancy to 'out' insanity in F1 fandoms, stretching back to the good old days of the F1 chatrooms on AOL! Back then you could have a good old fashioned debate, now it's just utter nonsensical abuse, with no ability to see both sides. And it's tiresome. And depressing. Nothing will change the 2021 result, nor should it.

So to the cult. Do yourself a favour (if you bother to read this, which I doubt), leave 2021 in the past and look forward to 2022. IF Lewis returns that is. And if he doesn't, celebrate what he did with pride. Not with venom against Max, Red Bull, Masi, Latifi or whoever you think is responsible. They are not. You are wrong.

And if you still can't accept it, then sod off and find another sport to watch. We don't want you. I have invested too many of my years in Formula One to have it spoilt by this new generation of wet blankets. I can guarantee none of them have sat at Copse in February watching a Formula One test in sub zero temperatures. That's my level of 'fandom', in case you're asking.

'That' ending to the '21 Formula One season...

It's been 17 days now since Max Verstappen  was crowned the 2021 Formula One World Champion. The 1st non Mercedes champion since 2013, Max took the fight to  Lewis Hamilton in an epic tussle not seen for many a year. 

Controversy has followed the 2 drivers all year. From Lewis 'unlapping' himself at the Emiliano Romagna GP at Imola under red flag conditions, to Silverstone and one of the worst overtaking attempts I've seen in many years resulting with Max off to hospital in a Helicopter (more on this later). We had the tangle at Monza. We had the 'did he/didn't he' squabble in Brazil. We had the stupidest race I think I've ever watched in Saudi Arabia. That track isn't fit for purpose, the rules were so poorly implemented by the Stewards it's laughable, with Max getting 3 separate penalties for the same on track kerfuffle. And then we had the climax in Abu Dhabi...

So, bringing it back a touch, the Abu Dhabi scenario shouldn't have happened. Max lost points in Hungary when Bottas went bowling. He lost points in Baku when his tyre exploded. He (and Lewis) lost points in Italy, and only received half points for the farcical Belgian Safety Car parade for 2 laps. And Silverstone. I was sat at Copse. I remember saying 'you don't throw it up the inside of Copse on lap 1', watching Lewis try it and Max hurtling at us at 150 mph into the barriers. With a thud I've never experienced before. He was shaken, he couldn't stand when they 1st got him out of the car and when he was put into the ambulance, the vitriol and abuse he received from those in teamLH/Mercedes gear was vile. When the medical helicopter flew over, the same morons cheered. 

The 'punishment' of 10 seconds is pathetic. I've always had this view. I said at the time it should be a 'drive through penalty', not a time penalty. Added to this Lewis was able, again under red flag conditions, to repair his damaged car, and by all accounts, 1 more safety car lap would have resulted in a retirement. So, the 'rules' so far, are on Lewis' side. 'If' none of the above had happened, Max would have been the champion with races to spare.

Now I must add this caveat, that I've followed Lewis since his junior days. his drives at Silverstone & Turkey in his GP2 championship winning season were some of the best drives I've ever seen. I cheered when he won in 2008. I've celebrated many of his wins. But, and this is the killer, I've fallen out of love with Lewis the person. Not the driver, his talent is almost unmatched. In my top 5, but not at the top, that will always be reserved for Ayrton. The social media persona, the band wagon jumping, the reluctance to shut the fanatics down when they step beyond the line has made me look elsewhere. And my change isn't just reserved for Lewis. I hated Alonso for as long as I can remember, but with age comes perspective I guess especially when his almost glorious Indy 500 ended with a new found respect for the man.

Lewis' followers, the self confessed teamLH are little more than a cult. The belief that their 'leader' can never, ever do wrong, is persecuted from all sides and  should always win, just because he is Lewis. It's scary. I've been to Monza many times and have never had any abuse from the Tifosi (aside from the nutter who wanted 2,000 people in front of him to sit down, so he could see, and I got the brunt of it because I was a 'foreigner'). I have heard many a story from friends at Silverstone (none of whom support LH44) who have had abuse hurled at them, or even worse, have been spat at because they dare to wear Ferrari merchandise. 

And so to Abu Dhabi. And Michael Masi. Who, despite the widely wrong belief, is not a Steward. He is the Race Director. And, amazingly, directs the race. As did Charlie Whiting before him.

Imagine the scene. It's the World Cup final. England (for arguments sake) are playing Holland. It's 0-0 and there is a horrific tackle at the end of the game. A leg breaker, in the penalty box. It's a penalty, but the referee is distracted by Gareth Southgate & Louis van Gaal are shouting in his ear while he's trying to work out what the hell is happening. Getting the medical staff over to see to the player with the injury. Sorting out the inevitable handbags from both sides. Working out who to red card. VAR in his ear too. The crowd baying for blood.

Now imagine you're Michael Masi. Who is trying to make sure the marshals clear Nicholas Latifi's stricken car as hastily as possible. Making sure the medical car is with him, incase of injury. Making sure the barriers are ok. You have Toto yelling in 1 ear. You have Christian in the other. You have the knowledge of an 'unwritten' want from ALL teams to finish under green flag where possible, and you'll remember the farce of just that not happening in Belgium. You have lapped cars in the way. You have cars pitting for new tyres. None of this is policed by the race stewards, that's not their job, they are the punishment givers/enforcers. So what do you do?

It's not your fault Lewis didn't stop for tyres while Max did. You know you're running out of laps, and you know that whatever decision you take will be the wrong one. So you go for the most sensible option, as race director, with the power to overrule the regulations if you believe its the correct decision. Remember, Michael Masi can and often does, 'interpret' the regs in a way that makes sense in the heat of the moment. I have no issue with what happened. I have often questioned the need for lapped cars to overtake the safety car, this only prolongs the period behind it, and makes little sense. Why not just shuffle them out of the way? That would have produced an extra lap of racing, sometimes 2 if its a long circuit like COTA/Baku. 

Max was on fresh tyres, a new set he'd saved. Lewis was on old rubber with no real way to defend.  Smart from Red Bull? Stupidity from Mercedes? Lewis' car was faster, so pitting during the earlier VSC or just after would have equalised things for Lewis. But Mercedes were so committed to track position, they gave up the 1 thing that won them the Russian GP - ALWAYS BE ON THE CORRECT RUBBER FOR THE CONDITIONS.

You'll probably disagree with me. Say I'm just against Lewis and turning a blind eye to 'cheating'. But the bigger picture is that Masi did nothing different from the other 21 races of the season. Direct each one, to the best of his ability. The stewards on the other hand? Useless. Inconsistent. Biased (having a driver as a steward will always produce a bias, Luizzi an ex Red Bull driver for example). For anyone blaming Latifi for 'deliberately' crashing, or blaming Jean Todt for, 'erm, I have no idea, but it's obviously his fault as he was FIA President'  needs their head wobbled. There is no conspiracy, there is no agenda. There were 22 races this season, and 1 single lap didn't win or lose the title for either driver.

Formula One needed a new champion. Whether it was Max, Lando, Charles or whoever, the sport needed someone else winning. The Mercedes domination has had me considering if I really want to watch any more, as it did from 2000 when Ferrari did it, or 2010-2013 when  Seb was all conquering. We need variety. We need competition. We need new guys winning. It's no coincidence that in the last 3 seasons, in my opinion, the best race of each has been Monza. Charles winning in front of the Tifosi. Pierre Gasly holding off Carlos Sainz for the epic win for Alpha Tauri and this year with Daniel Ricciardo taking the only 1-2 of the season, for McLaren with Lando. That's what the sport needs. Not a relentless, no matter how impressive, domination from 1 team.

Congratulations Max, Holland's first ever Formula One World Champion!

Some words...

I feel the need to write words. To try to convey how I’m thinking just now. Last year I lost my Grandmother. Grannie was my whole world, my constant link to my amazing childhood and the incredible adventures we had around the world. I knew she was ill, I knew she wouldn’t be around for much longer. But it hurt like mad. The funeral. Writing memories for the funeral. Carrying the coffin etc. And 9 months later it still hurts. The ‘memories’ on Facebook that pop up that make you smile, remember and then the sadness that she’s no longer around.

I knew she was going to die. She was 89 and had incurable cancer. She was at peace with it all, ready to leave us all behind and be reunited with my wonderful Grandad. We’re left behind wishing for 1 more day, 1 brief conversation about everything and nothing. And this leads me to where my head is now. I’ve only recently begun to understand what ‘depression’ feels like. For me it’s been anxiety attacks. Crippling fear of surroundings, places I’ve been to before, but suddenly a complete inability to cope with something I’ve done many many times. The Parabolica at last year’s Italian GP. The pub, sat with friends.

All this is down to grief. I have no doubts and I am learning to cope with it. But what If I couldn’t. What if I got to the point I needed help? I know I can talk to people, my amazing wife, kids and friends. But I also know people who took the same route as Caroline Flack, when it all got so much that ending it all was the only option to them. Mental Health is a minefield. Tina suffers and as open as it gets about her demons. She’s been to the edge too many times. A very good friend of ours went over the edge. And the biggest cause of his anguish? Opinions of others. The judge and jury of his choices and lifestyle. You wouldn’t have known how bad it was, because he’s a bloke and we don’t talk about it. But we should. Because now, we are 1 friend lighter and his family are 1 husband, 1 father, 1 son, 1 relative lighter too.

And so to yesterday. I have no interest in Love Island, we vaguely watched the X Factor during the auditions but I knew who Caroline Flack was. I was aware of her troubled private life but quite frankly I didn’t care, as it’s none of my business. This makes this all the sadder. Yes, she had committed a crime. She was due to face her punishment. But the trial by ‘media’ was far worse than anything the Courts could have thrown at her. ‘Journalists’ quick to criticise every single detail of her ‘private’ life are now confessing great sadness, yet are in some small part responsible for the dripping tap of negativity that destroys lives. She needed help and guidance. Support. And it’s clear that while everyone will say they did the best for her, the support wasn’t enough.

Social Media is amazing. And it is undeniably evil. Faceless trolls who hide behind an anonymous avatar, quick to judge, force an opinion with the sole intent of raising their ‘likes’ and ‘followers’. And on occasion I have been guilty of professing an opinion that is wrong, hurtful and regrettable. And I don’t want sympathy, I want to learn from it and be better. To ‘be kind’. To make informed and reasoned research into something before I offer an opinion. To praise more. To compliment more. To teach my kids of the joys and dangers of Social Media.

Ultimately, we only get 1 shot at this life thing. And it’s too short to spend it worrying about stuff. It’s exhausting. It’s unhealthy. It’s a massive cliché, but we need to enjoy being ourselves more. Living life to its very fullest, not worrying about how others choose to live their lives, because quite frankly its none of anyone’s damn business.

Be kind x

When is a 'good idea' just an insult?

I guess I'd better introduce myself. I've been a motorsport fan for 34 years. The first F1 race I remember watching was Monaco in 1984. I've watched plenty of the very best drivers on the planet plying their craft on the fastest and most fearsome circuits on the planet. In my lifetime, I've seen Prost, Senna, Schumacher and Hamilton win many World Championships. I have attended at least 15 Grands Prix at both Silverstone, and more recently Monza. The very best competing at the highest level.

So. What's this all about? The title of this blog for example? I can name on 1 hand the ladies who've got anywhere near competing on the same strips of tarmac my heroes have raced on in my lifetime of 38 years. The lady Damon Hill replaced at Brabham in 1992, Giovanna Amati failed to qualify in the 1st 3 races. Simona de Silvestro was signed as a 'third' driver by Sauber but had no realistic chance of a race seat, despite competing in the Indy Car championship to a very high level. Oban's Susie Stoddart, now wife of AMG Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had a similar contract with Williams and had numerous outings in practice sessions (notably at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, I am delighted to say I watched and gave her unwavering support), but ultimately left in part due to being overlooked for a full time drive.

So what stopped them from sitting on the grid at the very top of the sport I love? Absolutely nothing to do with talent, I can assure you. If you're fast, you're fast. I believe it was purely because no-one was willing to take a chance, to go against the norm and just be brave. Whether it's sponsors, bosses, or whatever, all it needs is someone to back these girls to do the job they are capable of. And in theory, the 'W' Series is a good idea. Until you realise that no woman racing driver wants to race against other women. They want to race against racing drivers. They want to be able to race against Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. They want to beat the new stars like Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly, both of whom have top seats in F1 in 2019 on merit.

And there lies the issue. 'W' segregates girls, effectively says that they're not good enough. That once they're 'hand-picked' for the championship they can compete on a level playing field. Except it's not. All those who've dared to comment against this new series have pointed to 1 thing. And they are better equipped to comment as they have lived it - sponsorship and budgetary issues. Plain and simple. Ask Pippa Mann, a veteran Indycar driver and one of the very best female racing drivers the UK has ever produced. She will say that the 1 biggest thing that held her back was convincing someone to put their money where their mouth is and back her because of her talent, irrespective of her gender. I've already said this on Twitter, and I'll say it again. My daughter Imola is 7 and I would hate for her to think that whatever it is she wants to do with her life will be limited with the common belief that to succeed in anything, she can only do it against those of her own gender. How many 7 year old girls watch F1 and dream of racing at Monza, Suzuka or Monaco, but don't see anyone of their gender doing it, and think it's an impossible dream?

So what's the solution? For a start the F1 teams with junior programmes like Red Bull, Ferrari or McLaren should be actively seeking the talent like they did with Max Verstappen, Charles LeClerc and Lando Norris and providing a budget, professional support and a pathway to the top. Maybe this $1.5m prize fund would be better spent on funding these competitors to the top, instead of making example of 1 girl from 18-20 in the series? Surely this is a better and more effective use of this cash?

Honestly, I believe it's a badly conceived idea with the guys in charge trying to do a good thing but misjudging it massively. I understand the concept, BUT David Coulthard didn't have gender or budgetary issues on his way to a full time race seat at Williams. Support is a good thing. Segregation certainly isn't...