In the round-up: Lewis Hamilton says it’s “not the end of the world” that he missed taking a knee at yesterday’s pre-race ‘end racism observance’.
What they say
Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were both absent from the pre-race end racism observance when it was shown during the broadcast of yesterday’s race:[It was] just timing. I went back to my garage, it’s the furthest away. I took the scooter back and just basically ran out of time. I thought I left to come back in time. Usually I’m guided of when to leave, I left when I was told to leave the garage to come back. By the time I got back, everyone had already taken the knee.
So definitely I missed it. But it’s not the end of the world. I got to see that my team continued to take the knee, which I think is great. And we’ll just try to do better with timing next time. Perhaps I won’t go all the way back to my garage when it’s that far away. In the past, usually there is another toilet somewhere closer.
Quotes: Dieter Rencken
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Social media
Notable posts from Twitter, Instagram and more:
Renault left Formula E to focus on promoting the brand in F1 (and recover the relatively small amount they were spending to be obscenely successful in FE) and are now passing on their F1 brand to one of their 90438698 boutique labels OK lads
— Hazel Southwell (@HSouthwellFE) September 6, 2020
Thinking of my pal Jonathan Williams today, no one has done more to keep the glorious history of @WilliamsRacing alive than him with his #WilliamsHeritage team, or has a more encyclopaedic knowledge of their history.
— Marino Franchitti (@MFranchitti) September 6, 2020
One last pre-race talk…with a little surprise at the end 😊
Thank you Claire from the entire team 💙#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 | #WeAreWilliams pic.twitter.com/BRQzoXZJ3a
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) September 6, 2020
When people talk about domination in #F1, they once meant these guys. @WilliamsRacing won five constructors' titles in six years from 1992 to 1997.
It's the end of an era: The 740th and final race for the family in charge of the team which has won 114 races since its debut. pic.twitter.com/gJCDFgrUB9
— RaceFans (@racefansdotnet) September 6, 2020
The @WilliamsRacing name may stay on, but this race truly marks the end of an era. Immense sadness as I walked past the trucks ahead of race. pic.twitter.com/JTsmLSRV3V
— Fritz-Dieter Rencken (@RacingLines) September 6, 2020
Seeing an empty Monza sucks. Mind you the crowd for the F2 race earlier was probably larger than the one for the F2 race I attended there in 2012
— Ben Evans (@bencommentator) September 6, 2020
Well that was different to any of the race sims last night. #MonzaGP #podium pic.twitter.com/4h4jIyZAc8
— Bernie Collins (@bernie_collins1) September 6, 2020
Damn. What a day of @F1. I bet no one woke up and expected today to be quite like today. Just 2020 things I guess #F1
— Lando Norris (@LandoNorris) September 6, 2020
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Links
More motor racing links of interest:
Charles and Seb both retire (Ferrari)
Mattia Binotto: "It’s even more disappointing that Sebastian’s retirement was down to a lack of reliability on the car. Problems like that, in this case with the brake system, should not happen."
Lance on the podium after Monza magic! (Racing Point)
"It’s been a disappointing day. Anything that could go wrong seemed to happen to us."
Italian Grand Prix 2020 (AlphaTauri)
Franz Todt: "Strategy-wise, the team did a fantastic job in deciding to bring him in one lap before the safety car was deployed. Of course, we didn’t know this at that time, but at the end this was exactly the right call because at the restart of the race he was in third and was able to overtake Stroll into turn one."
George Russell: "It was an unfortunate race and we were unlucky not to pit before the red flag. The car was feeling really good, we were just slow on the straight. Every time I overtook a car, they just passed me on the straight"
"I had to pit, came back out with a new front-wing, and I had really, really good pace. We didn’t expect to have that level of pace. That makes it even harder to be out of the race so early."
A rollercoaster of emotions (Alfa Romeo)
Kimi Raikkonen: "It was a very disappointing result in the end but there was nothing we could really do. We only had soft tyres left at the red flag, after using mediums at the start, which effectively put us in a very difficult position."
Round eight post-race two penalties (F3)
"Five drivers have been handed penalties following today’s Formula 3 Race 2 in Monza, including Liam Lawson, who loses second place."
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Comment of the day
Renault’s decision to rebrand its team prompted puzzled responses:
So when they put sister-brand Infiniti on the Red Bull cars Renault weren’t happy. And now that they have their own respectable team.. they put Alpine one it.
I don’t get it. The Renault brand is way more connected to Formula 1. Most people remotely interested in F1 know about the 2005 and 2006 seasons and Renaults succes. Besides, Renault mostly only hurt their reputation between 2014 and 2018 with slow-unreliable engines. From 2019 onwards they fixed that – they are a respectable team now. Why wouldn’t they want the Renault-brand to benefit from that?
HK (@Me4me)
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday to Stephen and F1Sauber!
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On this day in F1
- 45 years ago today Niki Lauda clinched his first world championship by finishing third for Ferrari at Monza, while team mate Clay Regazzoni won the race.
Shrieker (@shrieker)
7th September 2020, 0:04
What has f1fanatic turned into ? Gutter press.
falken (@falken)
7th September 2020, 0:07
Since rebranding the focus seems to be on as many different posts as possible, often just repeating press releases with little or no own commentary or insight.
I guess it’s a SEO / adware thing?
Con Row
7th September 2020, 7:43
I’m also surprised to see this sort of thing on this website. I come here for news on F1 not toilet breaks, if people want updates on that sort of thing go to toxic twitter.
Sad times, things like this should not make headlines
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
7th September 2020, 10:00
RaceFans obviously :)
falken (@falken)
7th September 2020, 0:05
COTD seems to have forgotten Renault cheated, not in some obscure way, but by deliberately crashing.
That’s what I remember them for.
Andrew
7th September 2020, 1:15
Shhhh, that was ING and the evil Flavio not Renault.
MacLeod (@macleod)
7th September 2020, 7:49
Flavio Pat and Renault are named cursed forever as cheaters!
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
10th September 2020, 9:24
Renault got outed, other teams have got away with similar cheats.
John
7th September 2020, 0:08
Time for this nonsense to end.
Alex
7th September 2020, 0:09
When you gotta go, you gotta go
Tornado (@tornado)
7th September 2020, 0:14
Racing Points, as well as Mercedes seem to be slow at the getaway at this race. Dunno about Williams, but could this be about inability to use higher modes during Races now?
slowmo (@slowmo)
7th September 2020, 0:31
Hamilton got away just fine twice. More likely just less grip in P2 slot combined with poor starts for Bottas and Stroll.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
7th September 2020, 10:03
@tornado
Mercedes & RP were the fastest and second fastest cars respectively in this race. As mentioned by above, Lewis’s starts were fine, however the other 3 drivers are just a waste for those seats.
Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
7th September 2020, 0:51
COD seems to not understand the Reanult team will be branded Renault Alpine (Like Mercedes AMG) not just ALPINE.
Andrew
7th September 2020, 1:14
The releases I’ve seen say Alpine F1 Racing only. The engine will be Renault E-TECH hybrid but the team won’t have Renault in it at all.
Tim
7th September 2020, 1:27
Let me google that for you:
@HoHum (@hohum)
7th September 2020, 2:38
Am I the only one who thinks the re-brand might be preparation for a sale of the team ?
Darryn Smith (@darryn)
7th September 2020, 2:54
That’s the only thing that makes sense.
Daniel
7th September 2020, 15:03
Seems strange to do this now when their performances are picking up.
Homerlovesbeer (@homerlovesbeer)
7th September 2020, 0:55
So Hamilton misses taking a knee on the grid to go take a squat elsewhere :D
Bart
7th September 2020, 7:19
When you gotta go you gotta go. Brown matter lives.
(FWIW that was just a joke. Racism should be exposed and set straight)
Jay Menon (@jaymenon10)
7th September 2020, 2:45
On CoTD, I see Renault’s move to rebrand to Alpine as being quite sensible tbh.
I’ve said on here before, I never quite understood what Renault’s marketing angle is/was. They’re the only manufacturer on the grid that do not have a top end (yes I am considering the current NSX in this category) performance car in it showrooms. Their current line up is pretty average, apart from the Megane 265 RS, everything else is pretty much “run-of-the-mill”.
If Renault are looking to revive the Alpine brand, which I believe they’ve looking to do for a while now, this will serve as the best marketing platform. From a branding perspective, F1 is very much a platform to flog performance vehicles (see AMG, Aston Martin, Mclaren, Ferrari, Alfa), Renault doesnt quite fit, does it? Honda uses F1 as training ground for the engineers, hence they have different drivers.
Chaitanya
7th September 2020, 4:29
Vettel was lucky that his brakes failed on that straight elsewhere on track it would have resulted in nasty crash at high speed.
abananasplitz
7th September 2020, 5:12
and this is probably why charles is “beating” Seb so ofthen in this horribly dangoerus car, charles is driving like he has something to prove and younger, seb most liky wants to avoid to DIEING for a p12.
imo today ferrari tired to kill both their drivers.
MCG (@malrg)
7th September 2020, 6:36
Brakes are most likely to fail at the end of a straight, because that’s when they are needed most.
Martin (@mrtn)
7th September 2020, 6:05
Mr Black Lives Matters himself missed ‘taking a knee’ due to toilet trip
“What a yoke!” :D
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
7th September 2020, 6:39
I agree with Lewis. Missing a ritual gesture it’s not the end of the world. But what’s Vettel excuse?
AliceD (@aliced)
7th September 2020, 7:00
I don’t want to start any blasphemous rumours, but I think there is a bit of a love affair between Hamilton and Vettel. After the race when Hamilton was asked about his team mate he called his team mate “Seb” before correcting himself.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
7th September 2020, 7:26
Ahahaha. It’s like middle school romance between a pair that always hate each other.
John
7th September 2020, 7:41
Imagine the bullying from Ham if another driver has missed his little dog and pony show due to needing a poo. He would have slaughtered then on social media!
Adam1
7th September 2020, 7:55
Hamilton makes a big deal about drivers not taking a knee at Austria. Then another big deal about keeping the ceremony going for future GP’s this year. A few races later and its suddenly okay for him to miss it? Hypocrisy much?
I know I’m going to get slammed by the hamilton lovers who can’t conceive him doing anything wrong but hopefully the neutrals will see my point?
James
7th September 2020, 13:42
This neutral gets and agrees with your point, Adam1
erikje
7th September 2020, 16:50
agree, hypocrisy in optima forma.
But of course there is not much to say about his priority’s.. he had something more important to do.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
7th September 2020, 8:01
This is why I have a problem with this. It is all a show, nobody takes it serious.
Meanwhile to really end racism and bring any equality, real steps must be taken, not parades and show of knee bending.
Meanwhile Hamilton is taking a dump.
ian dearing
7th September 2020, 15:00
Makes a change from him taking a giant dump on his naysayers after every race.
Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
7th September 2020, 8:33
Ah yes, Mr ‘nothing is more important than this and I will keep urging all drivers to do the same thing I do’ thinks it’s ‘not the end of the world to miss it’.
Aka: Like everyone already said, it’s yet another meme that some people use to make others do their bidding.
Jere (@jerejj)
7th September 2020, 13:56
LOL.
S
7th September 2020, 14:55
Funny.
Hamilton’s greatest cause is not the end of the world after all… Two of the drivers who’ve been most vocal about having the ceremony had better things to do instead.
And this – after the mess that was the Hungarian GP ceremony.
Daniel
7th September 2020, 15:00
I don’t want Lewis to feel forced into taking the knee but someone needs to explain the importance of this gesture to him so next time he won’t consider going to the loo as being more important than stopping racism.
I feel like we’re facing an uphill battle to keep this in place and it may die a silent death if nothing is done.