‘I don’t care, I’m not in kindergaren’: Steiner on Rich Energy tweets

48 comments on “‘I don’t care, I’m not in kindergaren’: Steiner on Rich Energy tweets”

1. 

   paulguitar (@paulguitar)
   16th July 2019, 1:13

   That’s good to see Rio Ferdinand’s words there.

   That question Lewis answered in the press conference was a disgrace. I am amazed he managed to be so calm and dignified when responding.
   1. 

      Phylyp (@phylyp)
      16th July 2019, 5:32

      @paulguitar – thanks to your comment, I went looking for the transcript of the press conference. And what did I find there, but a question from our very own Keith (on a different and more relevant topic):

      Q: (Keith Collantine – Racefans.net) Lewis, following your comments a while ago about wanting to reduce the weight of Formula One cars, FIA president Jean Todt has suggested that one way of doing this would be re-introduce refuelling in the races and some other suggestions he’s made for increasing the unpredictability of races including getting rid of what he calls driver aids, such as your anti-stall devices, reducing the amount of telemetry on the cars and getting rid of the virtual garages that teams use to conference back with the team back at base. What do you think about any of those suggested changes, and also Valtteri and Charles, if you have any thoughts on those?

      LH: Don’t necessarily think that’s going to make a big difference to racing. Do you think it will? I don’t think many of those are going to do much different except for having a lighter car. They’re constantly making these cars heavier and heavier and heavier every year and we’re going faster and we have more downforce and the tyres… it’s really hard for Pirelli to develop a tyre with such limited testing that can sustain that weight etc etc and then the thermal deg, all these different things, it’s like a domino effect so with lighter car, we could fight harder. If you look at the end of the race, the tyres that we have at the end of the race, we can push more, we can race more at the end with so much of a drop-off like today and that’s because the car was lighter on the lighter fuel, so that might not be such a bad thing for us in the future but there’s a bunch of other elements that is not in that list… I don’t know, off the top of my head but as the GPDA we mentioned it.

      VB: As long as the cars are lighter it’s always going to be better for everything, for racing, tyres, everything so whatever can be done for the weight is always going to be a bonus and we’re going to enjoy it more, everyone’s going to enjoy it more.

      CL: Well, I don’t know, I’ve never raced with refuelling but it was definitely one cool thing to see, so if it’s back in Formula One why not? I will be happy to try. I think the main problem is still that the cars are probably too heavy so these two things for me are separate things but refuelling can be a good idea. Then, to limit the amount of informations to the box or to stop… did you say stop completely the telemetry from the garage or reduce? Yeah. I think we are quite limited in that the cars are so complex now that we also need to make them run, having the help of the engineers, in the background. Yeah. maybe reducing some informations but I think we are limited into that, just by the complexity of the cars now. That’s it.

      LH: The cars don’t need to be 730 kilos, they just don’t need to be that heavy. They used to be 600 or something was it, years and years ago. I spoke to my engineers and they said if they change the rules we can make it that weight. We just have to take some things off the car but we can make it lighter. Performance items will come off but they can do it.
      1. 

         Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
         16th July 2019, 7:06

         I don’t really see how much difference refueling would make considering we now have a limit of 105kg fuel for the race. They’d only be around 50kg lighter at the start.
         Prior to the current turbo engines when they were using much more fuel I could potentially see a benefit, but not so much now.
         1. 

            Phylyp (@phylyp)
            16th July 2019, 7:19

            @eurobrun – Good point about the current PUs being much more fuel efficient, so much that they even underfuel below the 105 kg limit.

            I think the three heavyweights (in no particular order) are: a) added fuel b) turbo + intercooler c) energy store and energy recovery systems. Apart from the sound, I think the latter two points are a reason why some fans yearn for a return to the V8s.
            1. 

               anon
               16th July 2019, 8:48

               @phylyp, despite the insistence of a certain poster here on blaming everything on the current hybrid formula, if you examine the major causes of weight increase in recent years, the main driver in recent years has been the FIA mandating changes to the cars – don’t forget that, even in the V8 era, the minimum weight crept up over the years due to regulation changes by the FIA (a combination of changes in safety standards and sporting changes).

               Between increasing the minimum weight to accommodate the halo, increasing the size of the cars to 2m and the most recent increase to accommodate the 80kg minimum weight for the driver and seat, the FIA has pushed the minimum weight of the cars up by 50kg over the past couple of years – and I believe that the FIA had been talking about increasing the minimum weight again to accommodate the change to 18 inch rims, since the wheels are likely to become heavier under that formula.
            2. 

               Phylyp (@phylyp)
               16th July 2019, 9:43

               anon – I intended to put in a line about safety pushing up the weight, and I clean forgot. Thank you for pointing that out, apart from two others which I had not considered – the wider cars and the driver weight.

               If the weight increases again in 2021 due to the 18″ wheels, I’m going to start calling the drivers “captains” and refer to the tonnage ratings of the boats they drive.

               I’m curious as to the performance parts that Lewis has alluded to would be removed (i.e. are they aero, or non), and would like to see that option explored indirectly in 2021 – keep the car weight the same as 2020 despite the 18″ rims, forcing teams to start having to actually cut back on ballast and hopefully even some “meat” from the car (now that the meat on the drivers has been safeguarded!).
         2. 

            CHIKANO (@chikano)
            16th July 2019, 7:41

            @eurobrun

            Only 50kg Lighter? That is a a huge difference in an F1 car.

            Drivers were starving themselves just to save the team a couple kilos of body weight knowing the advantage.
         3. 

            Jere (@jerejj)
            16th July 2019, 12:42

            @eurobrun 11 actually. It was raised by another five kg for this season, which TBH, wasn’t really necessary.
            1. 

               Jere (@jerejj)
               16th July 2019, 12:42

               @jerejj 110. I’m not sure why the zero left even though I indeed typed it in the first place, LOL.
   2. 

      bob (@riptide)
      16th July 2019, 9:08

      Nothing disgraceful about the question at all. ‘Why do you think people question your Britishness?’ The question referenced Monaco, accent and spending time in USA as some of the reasons why. Perfectly legitimate question given that some people (many who were sat in that room; and elsewhere) do question his Britishness. And many more still think the reasons given by those who do question his Britishness are nothing more than a cover for their racism.
      Thoughtful answer by Hamilton to.
      1. 

         Phylyp (@phylyp)
         16th July 2019, 9:47

         @riptide – to me, being domiciled in Monaco (and the associated tax stuff) is probably the relevant bit. Time spent in the US is a lifestyle/choice, and is no different from a British musician or actor who frequents Hollywood. I’m surprised accent is such a big deal in the UK, given that I remember reading ages ago about the variety of accents in the UK (and I think it was a Forsyth novel that mentioned that linguists could locate a person by his/her accent to within tens of miles of where they acquired it).
         1. 

            paulguitar (@paulguitar)
            16th July 2019, 10:05

            I think it is totally disrespectful @riptide because F1 drivers have been living in tax havens going all the way back to Jim Clark, who lived in Bermuda. I fail to see why Hamilton is the only driver who is repeatedly required to justify this?

            As to the cars and refuelling, @phylyp I do think they have got way too big and heavy. For a lot of the time I have been watching f1 I think they were about 515KG. I have grave reservations about refuelling though because when we were doing that last time more often than not it led to no racing whatsoever on the track. It was awful.
            1. 

               Phylyp (@phylyp)
               16th July 2019, 10:10

               @paulguitar – I agree that refuelling was like today’s mandatory pitstop, it often led to strategies playing out in the pitlane than on track.
            2. 

               bob (@riptide)
               16th July 2019, 10:46

               Some may fail to see why Hamilton has to justify it, but I think a large number of us don’t. It’s racism pure and simple. And to clarify. I think questioning his Britishness is disgusting and wrong. But that wasn’t the question being asked in the press conference. The question was ‘Why do you think people question your Britishness?’ As the reporter said in the subsequent article on the matter ‘When a question referencing the double standards levelled against Hamilton compared to other drivers provoked defensiveness from fans and pundits alike, the underlining current of discomfort was laid bare. Sport is a reflection of its society; not an escape from it.’
               Many involved in F1 would rather these questions were swept under the carpet and we all carry on living with the pretense that F1 is the only place on earth where racism doesn’t exist. Clearly that particular reporter does not.
            3. 

               bob (@riptide)
               16th July 2019, 11:08

               That first line is somewhat inelegant. I meant to say I do understand why Hamilton is continually asked to justify it; whilst others are not. Racism, pure and simple.
            4. 

               anon
               16th July 2019, 13:41

               @paulguitar, as you note, a large chunk of those racing drivers became tax exiles, although I believe Clark declared himself as being domiciled in Switzerland (though I believe that he spent most of his time living in Paris instead).

               I believe it is one reason why Graham Hill had to do most of the testing work on the Lotus 49 ahead of the 1967 season. Clark did not want to enter the UK at that period, otherwise it would mean that he wouldn’t be able to claim he was domiciled in Switzerland, but because Graham Hill remained domiciled and living in the UK, the testing duties fell to him (and I think that it was one of the few points of slight friction between Hill and Clark).

               Button has been quite open about his decision to become a tax exile in Monaco, whilst Mansell and Damon Hill are also based there. Hunt, too, declared himself to be resident in Monaco, with Stewart and Clark declaring Switzerland to be their tax bases.

               Indeed, there is the irony that Jackie Stewart has expressed support for Scottish independence in the past, but at the same time made it clear that he had no intention of returning to Scotland because of the tax advantages being in Switzerland offered him. In the same way that some have questioned Hamilton for “flying the flag” yet not living in the UK, you could also comment that Jackie Stewart has been more than willing to be a “proud Scot” so long as it doesn’t cost him anything to be one.
         2. 

            Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
            16th July 2019, 19:57

            @phylyp Accent is a big deal precisely because it changes so much across the country. The place where I work in IT support is located in my town partially because the local accent is considered one of the most neutral in the country. The next town, 15 miles north, has several other large employers of the same type for the same reason (locals can tell the difference, people from further away not so much), but the towns 10 miles east, and 20 miles south and 25 miles west do not… …because their inhabitants are considered to have such a different accent that even people from other parts of the UK find it more difficult to tell what is being said. Did I mention all three of the aforementioned towns are also deemed to have different accents from each other?

            The pre-race buildup of national statistics included “The accent changes noticeably every 25 miles”. That was probably an understatement for anything less than, “A foreigner who had never visited the UK could geographically place most people speaking that accent”. However, an exact number depends how “noticeable” is being defined.

            As an aside: callers from other parts of the UK have variously described my Derbyshire accent as “Brummie” (Birmingham, a city at least 60 miles away from me), Islington (a posh part of central London), Newcastle (a large city in north-east England, which is big enough to have two distinct accents – Geordie and Mackam), Isle of Wight (a small island in the south of England), Scottish, Irish, Spanish, Indian, Southern USA, New York and Australian. Occasionally, someone even gets my accent right! Simply because people care a lot about accents does not make them knowledgeable on the subject.

            I understand Italy, with arguably even more accents, has this just as much. You can tell Forsyth was not writing for an Italian audience, for locals can often pick up accent differences between neighbouring villages (or at least claim they can), provided they’re both near their home village. It also has a certain amount of this effect. I remember an article in F1 Magazine from 2001 that mentioned in passing that Giancarlo Fisichella had faced some difficulties in his junior career because his accent blatantly placed him in a working-class suburb of Rome, a predicament entirely identifiable to someone who’d faced something similar for having an accent from certain parts of London. (The difference, of course, is that people shut up about it when he reached F1. British tabloids are more obsessed with defining Britishness than their Italian equivalents, let alone most of the population of either country).

            The one other British person I can think of that was facing these sorts of “are you even British?” questions even after being champion is Jackie Stewart. This may be part of the reason why he will never return to Scotland, even if the main one dates back to when the tax code for his income bracket was 93%…

            There is another reason other than racism that I can think of that Hamilton might continue to face such questions, and it’s something he has in common with Jackie. The majority people tend closer to the conventional norms of “the establishment” of their day. Some others tend further, being Rebels who the Establishment must be ineffectually Against, mostly to prove to their Establishment peers that they are still Establishment. British tabloids like to think of themselves as Establishment, even if it often suits them to feign otherwise. Jackie was like that in the early 1970s… …and Lewis has now been so for a decade. Racism may be a component, but originality is an unforgivable sin to linear thinkers.
            1. 

               Phylyp (@phylyp)
               16th July 2019, 20:44

               @alianora-la-canta – thank you for your very insightful comments on accent, it made for enjoyable reading!

               I think you’ve also called out an excellent point about some people wanting others to conform to norms, and they find originality unthinkable. Very nice.
2. 

   Scotty
   16th July 2019, 2:12

   So, I used to be a big Nascar fan. About 8 years ago I started with F1 and stopped watching Nascar. I know most people on the site are moto GP or openwheel fans. That being said, make time and check out the Kentucky highlight video. Can you imagine if you could get an F1 race to be that unpredictable?
3. 

   Phylyp (@phylyp)
   16th July 2019, 3:05

   For those who wanted a Steiner COTD, well, there you go. Another no nonsense quote from him.
   1. 

      GechiChan (@gechichan)
      16th July 2019, 8:41

      @phylyp I would actually love to see Steiner as F1 CEO, the job that they want Toto to take over from Carey. Just give it to Gunther and let him shoot from the hip.
      1. 

         Phylyp (@phylyp)
         16th July 2019, 9:37

         @gechichan – you mean shoot from the lip ;)

         Yes, he would definitely entertain, although I think Toto is still the better candidate, with his blend of diplomacy, forthrightness, and toughness when called for.
4. 

   RP (@slotopen)
   16th July 2019, 3:36

   Maybe Hamilton needs a blond Boris mop top to look British.

   Or maybe a nice British title? Like Sir Lewis Hamilton?

   Sadly even that won’t end it.
   1. 

      Phylyp (@phylyp)
      16th July 2019, 4:08

      @slotopen – firstly, congrats on the CotD. I fully agree with your statement about fan videos, to see them rise and cheer, or rise in anguish definitely adds to the spectacle. Like you say, coverage need not be an either-or proposition between cars or crowd, it could be inclusive.

      Segueing off the “inclusive” theme, yeah, as long as people appear different (looks, mannerism, speech), it will lend itself to racism. I like how Rio Ferdinand refers to Hamilton’s clothes, hairstyle, music – because one can have different preferences from Lewis, and yet treat them with respect. Sadly, those very points are used to build a narrative of “not one of us” when convenient.
      1. 

         NeverElectric
         16th July 2019, 5:10

         Just call it what it is – some British fans dislike and criticise Hamilton because he is not white.
         I see many of them on this very forum, daily.
         If you look at many sports boards that have comments on – eg BBC HYS – and check ou the handles that slag Lewis for this and that, you will quickly notice that the same handles also call Serena Williams all manner of names, etc.

         It’s called life as a leading sports star while being non-white, it happens.
         1. 

            cookie71 (@paulcook)
            16th July 2019, 6:27

            On a more positive note, I was at the GP and it is always good to see the huge number of Lewis fans. All colours, ages and genders. When you hear the noise from the crowd when Lewis is doing well it makes you realise that largely people don’t care about race – we’re just grateful we get to see one of the greatest of all time – and he’s British!
            1. 

               paulguitar (@paulguitar)
               16th July 2019, 10:08

               I agree @paulcook

               It’ always lovely to go to the ‘Lewis Hamilton show’ at Silverstone. Reading some of the comments here and elsewhere one might get the impression that Lewis is not appreciated. A trip to Silverstone for the GP very much contradicts that view and it’s a really positive thing.
5. 

   squaregoldfish (@squaregoldfish)
   16th July 2019, 6:31

   Wow, I’m amazed Vergne got off so lightly. I don’t buy his explanation at all – if his teammate had a damaged car, he could have driven back to the pits or pulled off in an escape road. And if the car was damaged badly enough that neither of those were possible, then the SC would be called anyway.
   1. 

      Nick Wyatt (@nickwyatt)
      16th July 2019, 7:45

      @squaregoldfish yes, that was an astonishingly stupid thing of Vergne to say – knowing that all communications were open. Let’s just imagine what might have happened if Lotterer really had been forced to stop on circuit by coincidence. We would be in the midst of Crashgate all over again.
      1. 

         Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
         16th July 2019, 20:02

         @nickwyatt From the Autosport article, I get the impression Jean-Eric agrees with you – people who think they were talking sense don’t ask stewards to make an example of them… …but of course he did so when it was too late to take the words back.
   2. 

      Keith Campbell (@keithedin)
      16th July 2019, 12:51

      @squaregoldfish Yeah I lost all respect for JEV right there. I watched most of the first season of FE and was supporting him, but won’t be anymore. It’s cheating, plain and simple.
6. 

   GeeMac (@geemac)
   16th July 2019, 9:26

   Ferdinand is spot on. As a Scot who has spent the overwhelming majority of my life away from “home” I completely understand how Hamilton can still be proudly British while living a global lifestyle. The fact that I have been away for so long makes me no less Scottish, just as Hamilton living in Monaco and socialising in LA makes him no less British. How you identify is a personal choice and no one has the right to tell you how you should or shouldn’t feel. There is a dangerous and narrow minded fallacy among some in Britain that you can’t be truly British unless you live in a 3 bed semi in Darlington, drink endless cups of tea while watching Eastenders and never leave this frostbitten rock…it is nonsense. The world is a small place and more than ever people from all around the globe have the chance to live and work overseas and embrace all that comes with that opportunity.

   For a nation who were once so outward looking we have become dangerously inward looking and self obsessed.
   1. 

      Phylyp (@phylyp)
      16th July 2019, 9:48

      @geemac – Purely tongue in cheek – those of us in the former colonies are grateful you’re not that outward looking anymore :)
      Though I admit the swing to the other extreme is worrying for all.
   2. 

      paulguitar (@paulguitar)
      16th July 2019, 10:15

      Agreed @geemac
      I only spend 2-3 months per year in the UK due to my job, but I feel at least as British as I ever did when I was in the UK all of the time. I fail to see travelling for work makes anyone ‘foreign’ in any way.
7. 

   Talby (@maichael)
   16th July 2019, 12:21

   “Britishness.” What a ridiculous word. Rio Ferdinand could be rebuking the media for asking such questions at all. Instead he reinforces their chauvinism saying: “He’s One Of Our Own.” Which is to say anyone who isn’t (sufficiently) British is an inferior being, make no mistake.

   Where we’re from shouldn’t matter; our character should. And how British someone might be tells us nothing about the latter.

   Patriotism and nationalism will forever lead to this backward kind of thinking.
   1. 

      Shimks (@shimks)
      16th July 2019, 13:48

      @maichael Well said.
8. 

   Jere (@jerejj)
   16th July 2019, 12:50

   I so like Guenther how straight-talking he is, for telling things how they are, a bit like Niki used to do.

   I also couldn’t agree more with Rio Ferdy although a small error by him there. JB doesn’t live in Monaco anymore. Since retiring from F1 for good, he’s been living in LA (or somewhere in California) AFAIA.
   1. 

      Phylyp (@phylyp)
      16th July 2019, 13:28

      I so like Guenther how straight-talking he is, for telling things how they are, a bit like Niki used to do.

      @jerejj – that is a nice comparison, I didn’t realize that until you pointed it out.
   2. 

      anon
      16th July 2019, 17:30

      @jerejj, is Button officially domiciled in the US for tax purposes though? It is possible that he is living for part of the year in the US, but is still officially domiciled in Monaco for the purpose of his financial affairs.
9. 

   Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
   16th July 2019, 13:07

   Hamilton’s blowback has nothing to do with race, it’s his fame and lifestyle, the image, people ought to be less nosy, that’s that.
   1. 

      bob (@riptide)
      16th July 2019, 15:45

      Huh? Nothing to do with race? Err, OK.
      1. 

         Formula1 (@s2g-unit)
         17th July 2019, 4:54

         @riptide I’m black, I don’t think it’s because of his race. It’s probably because a lot of fans of F1 are probably 50-60+ years old and find Hamilton’s different choice of clothes, hairstyle & Hollywood lifestyle too out of the norm for F1. If there was some bad boy overly tattoed whote guy, who dressed like a punk/death metal rockstar, I’m pretty sure the reaction would be the same.
      2. 

         Formula1 (@s2g-unit)
         17th July 2019, 4:56

         @s2g-unit I only added my race because I figured people would jump to conclusions about me not being able to see racism or some nonsense. Not everything is hated, disliked etc because of their race or gender. That’s out of control today.
         1. 

            bob (@riptide)
            17th July 2019, 9:44

            And I’m over 60 and I can assure you most of us don’t think like that. I can also assure you that those of us from or around the Woodstock generation were and are far more liberal than subsequent generations. And this is something that has surprised me; as you get older you chill a lot more. So you kids lol do not shock us with your tattoos, metal bits or clothes (Have you seen the way we dressed in the 60s!)
            Of course not everything is racist, but don’t lets pretend it doesnt exist. Hamilton’s nickname within British motorsport is widely known (go the motorsportmagazine and put racism in the search engine if you don’t know). Its not a term of endearment.
            As the person who asked the question said; it made those around them uncomfortable. Why would anyone feel uncomfortable? Hamilton is regularly criticised and asked about not being British enough.That never makes the rest of the press pack uncomfortable. So why would a question asking Hamilton why he thinks he is the one being singled out over his tax, USA connections and taxes make them uncomfortable?
10. 

    JMDan (@danmar)
    16th July 2019, 20:06

    I thought Jenson lived in the US.
11. 

    JMDan (@danmar)
    16th July 2019, 20:14

    I don’t think bringing back refueling is a good idea. They were talking about the cost of traveling with that equipment all over the world as if it was the main reason for not doing it. Why not have refueling in European races only? Also would it be so hard to vary how individual races are run. This might add some interesting twists. Do they need to be carbon copies of each other?
12. 

    Darryn Smith (@darryn)
    16th July 2019, 20:42

    The only thing worse than DRS is refueling. What a stupid, stupid idea to bring that abortion back. Think the number of on-track passing is low now. With refueling the passing in Sunday’s race will be spread out over a full season.
    1. 

       bob (@riptide)
       17th July 2019, 9:47

       As Kravitz said on Sunday, never going to happen; just look at Albon. Couldn’t come into the pits as his car went live through a fault. Imagine the car going live when they were sticking fuel in.

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