on the track countdown to the start of the 2009 season
As attention turns towards the irst round of the 2009 FIA Formula 1
World Championship in Melbourne later this month, Lewis Hamilton
brought the curtain down on his hugely successful 2008 campaign in the best way possible.
As a guest of Her Majesty the Queen, Lewis visited Buckingham Palace in London to be oficially awarded an MBE. While the announcement was irst made in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List back in December, Lewis joined around 120 others as Her Majesty oficially oversaw the investiture in the Palace’s State Ballroom.
After the event, an elated Lewis said: “To go to the Palace today and meet Her Majesty The Queen was an incredible experience, following what has been an intense, exciting and unbelievable 12 months of my
life.
“I’m so proud of the reception I have received from everybody in the United Kingdom. People’s enthusiasm and support, even during the tough times, really kept me going and helped me through an extremely demanding year.
“To be recognised alongside the people who make an outstanding and selless contribution to society is truly humbling, and I’d like to thank Her Majesty the Queen, her Government and the British public for
bestowing this honour on me. I’d also like to thank my family for sharing my dream and helping to make it a reality. Last but not least, I’d also like to thank my team, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for taking a chance on
me when I was 13 years old. I still can’t believe I’m in Formula 1 and that I’m now a World Champion; it’s incredible.”
Hamilton has, however, been criticised for his decision to move to Switzerland in 2007. At the end of last year, the 23-year-old, who hails from Hertfordshire, said he would continue to live in Switzerland ‘for the
moment’.
His thrilling last-gasp victory in the Brazilian Grand Prix could put Hamilton on course to become the world’s highest paid sportsman.
But his decision to stay abroad will disappoint fans including racing legend Sir Stirling Moss, who has led calls for him to return to the UK. His fans have complained that Hamilton’s triumph was sullied by
his to move abroad, cutting his tax bills by at least £4million a year.
However, Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said yesterday: “We should be proud. Lewis Hamilton is clearly proud of being British. He is a great role model for kids. He may live in Switzerland but Formula One is that type of world. British drivers in the past have done the same thing.”
This is quite true: David Coulthard, who retired last season and Brawn GP’s Jenson Button live in Monaco, while former World Champion Nigel
Mansell lives in Jersey, the Channel Islands. But they are not alone as
Michael Schumacher, Kimi Räikkönen and Fernando Alonso also
live in Switzerland and Ralf Schumacher is living in Austria.
Brawn GP In the January issue of Sports & Fitness we carried the news of Honda’s shock announcement last December to withdraw fromFormula One as a result of the global inancial crisis.
Following a long winter of uncertain speculation and counter-speculation, it was inally conirmed on 6th March that the Honda Motor Company Limited and Ross Brawn had reached agreement to preserve the team, which will now be known as Brawn GP
admitting that he’s never seen Ferrari’s biggest rival so far off the pace.
McLaren have been woefully off the pace in recent tests, prompting team boss Martin Whitmarsh to concede that they are suffering a “performance shortfall”.
The Woking outit, though, still has a few days in which to solve their problems as, unlike Ferrari, they are testing at Jerez this week.
And one person who reckons they will be on form come the Australian GP is rival Massa, who says one can never write off McLaren.
“We have never seen McLaren so far back,” the Brazilian told the oficial F1 website. “In many years I have never seen that. But it is
a team we need to respect.
“They have another test session that we don’t have, so they still have the chance to improve and ind what is wrong with the car and what
is not working.
“For sure it is surprising to see McLaren so far behind but we have to wait for a verdict at the irst race.”
Brawn, the ex-Honda boss was the mastermind behind all seven world titles for the great Michael Schumacher at Benetton and Ferrari between 1994 and 2006.
Britain’s Jenson Button and Brazilian veteran Rubens Barrichello, last year’s Honda line-up, will continue to drive for the British-based team.
There were fears 29 year old Button would not be able to get a drive if the team were unable to continue and he is understood to have taken an eextensive pay cut as part of the rescue deal.
Brawn, who joined Honda at the start of last season, said he was delighted to retain the same driving lineup. “The vast experience and knowledge that both drivers bring to our team will prove invaluable as we aim to get up to speed in the shortest possible time to be ready for the irst race of the season,” he said.
“In what will be their fourth season together, their experience with our team in Brackley, our systems and our engineers, will prove a real asset.”
Tests of the Mercedes-powered cars began at Silverstone at the beginning of March. The remaining pre-season tests started in Barcelona on 9th March and Jerez on 15th March with the season beginning on 27th March in Melbourne, Australia.
With the team’s survival, Formula One will start the season with 10
teams, one fewer than at the beginning of 2008, before Super Aguri folded.
Mclaren Can Get It Together Says MassaFelipe Massa has refused to write off McLaren’s title
c h a l l e n g e ,
despite
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