F1: The Movie (2025)

For any fan of Formula 1, this is a must see movie. I actually had plans of going to see it with my sister in the theatre, both of us wearing our Formula 1 gear (me wearing either Aston Martin or Mercedes, her wearing Ferrari), but now I have to buy it on Amazon instead

Summary

-A former Formula One driver, who was a legend in his time, comes out of retirement to team up with a younger driver and his team

For any fans of F1, you should immediately recognize Oscar Piastri in this picture

Cast

-Brad Pitt: Sonny Hayes

-Damson Idris: Joshua Pearce

-Javier Bardem: Ruben Cervantes

-Kerry Condon: Kate McKenna

-Tobias Menzies: Peter Banning

-Kim Bodnia: Kaspar Smolinski

-Sarah Niles: Bernadette

-Will Merrick: Nickleby

-Joseph Balderrama: Fazio

-Abdul Salis: Dodge

-Callie Cooke:Jodie

-Leigh Diffey: Daytona Race Broadcaster

-Will Buxton: Himself

-Martin Savage: Las Vegas FIA Race Director

Did You Know?

-It took a year to convince the FIA (the governing body of Formula 1) and the ten teams to allow production of the teams and drivers on the tracks during race weekends. One concern of the Red Bull team was that they would be shown as the villain because the Mercedes team had built the car used in the movie and then Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton was included as a producer on the film. Jerry Bruckheimer stated that the FIA or any of the teams would be not shown in a negative way

-Filming the racing scenes were scattered throughout the 2023 and 2024 race weekends. A garage was set up for production between the garages of the Mercedes and Ferrari teams

-For the drivers of the 2025 racing season, a private screening of the movie was held at the Cannes Film Festival

-Brad Pitt and Damson Idris did all of their own driving in this film

-Sarah Niles, who plays the mother of Joshua Pearce (Damson Idris), is only 4 years older than him

-The car Brad Pitt drove is a modified Dallara F2 2018. The motor was replaced with an electric motor. It was created with the help of the Mercedes F1 team and Carlin Motorsport

-Brad Pitt is a long time fan of auto racing

-Director Joseph Kosinski was worried about Sir Lewis Hamilton's reaction to the footage of racing. Kosinski said "He smiled and said 'It looks fast.' I was like 'Oh, thank God.' If Lewis says that, we're in a good place.'"

-Any interior shots of the actors behind the wheel is actually them driving. No stunt men were used for the racing scenes. Brad Pitt logged over 6,000 miles of racing time, which now makes him quite experienced

-The scenes showing the racing simulator were done at the HQ and factory for the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team in the UK

-Bernie Collins, a Northern Irish female Formula 1 strategy engineer, was the inspiration for Kerry Condon's character, who was the first female technical director of the Formula One APX GP team

-Sonny Hayes would wear mismatched socks, a trait that former F1 driver Alex Wurz would do. Wurz would wear mismatched racing shoes and socks

-As a tribute to the F1 world, HAAS team principal Guenther Steiner can be seen swearing. He is famous for his profane language among Formula 1 fans. He does it silently in the film, but lip readers can still pick it up. Despite not being seen using profane language during broadcasts, the Netflix series Drive to Survive did an episode featuring Guenther Steiner, making it clear about his use of profanity

-The headquarters for the APX team is actually the McLaren headquarters. It's the McLaren Technology Center

-The English Bulldog being walked through the paddock early in the film belongs to Formula 1 driver Sir Lewis Hamilton. The dog's name is Roscoe and he frequently joins Lewis during racing weekends

-This film was initially considered as a sequel to the 1990 film Days of Thunder

-Max Verstappen, driver for the Red Bull team, skipped the private screening for the F1 drivers and the New York premier while Carlos Sainz Jr, driver for Ferrari and now Williams Racing, cautioned the "pure F1 fans" to be "open minded to Hollywood films"

-Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt) has a tattoo on his left arm. It's of the Jerez circuit in Spain, the circuit in which his character had his career-ending crash during an F1 race in the 1990s

-The name of the racing team Sonny joins is APX, pronounced Apex, the innermost point of a corner that a car can take to minimize lap time

-As part of an invitation from McLaren team principal Zak Brown, Brad Pitt took McLaren driver Lando Norris' car out for a private test at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) circuit in Texas. Lando Norris and SkySports commentator and former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle were present to give Pitt any advice. He did three laps in Norris' car

Zak Brown, McLaren Team Principal

-Black and gold are the colors of the APX team. They are also the same colors for the University of Missouri, where Brad Pitt attended school and dropped out

20 You May or May Not Know About Carlos Sainz Jr.

Carlos Sainz Jr. is a Formula 1 driver on the Ferrari team, opposite Monaco-born driver Charles LeClerc. Like all people, there are things you may or may not know about him. According to Facts.net, here are 20 facts you may or may not know about Carlos Sainz Jr.

1. His father is a legendary racecar driver

-His father is Carlos Sainz Sr. Whenever the camera at Formula 1 races shows the pit area for Ferrari, who Carlos Sainz Jr. drives for, his father, Carlos Sainz Sr. is always seen there, supporting his son. Carlos Sainz Sr. is a world famous World Rally Champion

2. 2015 is the year he made his debut in Formula 1

-Carlos Sainz Jr. entered the fast paced world of Formula 1 in 2015. He was just 20 years old. The team he started out on was Scuderia Toro Rosso. His good skills and determination won him the respect of fans and experts in F1

3. Not surprisingly, he's raced for several teams

-It's not surprising to hear he's raced for several teams. Most Formula 1 drivers have been on several teams. Carlos Sainz Jr. is no exception. He's raced for Scuderia Toro Rosso, Renault and McLaren, before finally settling on Ferrari

4. His first podium finish came in 2019

-While driving for McLaren, Carlos Sainz Jr. got his first podium finish in 2019, four years after he first started. He secured third place at the Brazilian Grand Prix

5. Overtaking is his specialty

-He's known for his impressive overtaking skills. He outmaneuvers his fellow drivers and overtakes them in ways that might be considered risky, but fans love watching the excitement of his overtaking skills

6. The fans love him

-Because of his humble, down to earth personality, his ability to engage in conversation and exciting racing skills, the fans love watching him race. He's one of the more popular Formula 1 drivers

7. He can say that he raced in the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans

-This legendary 24 hour race is not for the faint of heart. This is a world famous race that does last 24 hours. Besides Formula 1 racing, he has undertaken endurance racing, including the world famous 24 Hours of Le Mans

8. He is close with his father

-Their bond goes beyond father and son. They both support each other with valuable guidance and share a love of motorsport racing

9. He is multi-lingual

-He can speak multiple languages. In addition to being an excellent racecar driver, Sainz is fluent in Spanish, English and Italian

10. He is competitive in esports competitions

-Carlos Sainz Jr. has competed in esports competitions. His passion for racing is strong both on and off the track

11. He does charity work

-Carlos Sainz Jr. also supports charities. He firmly uses his position as a Formula 1 driver to help make an impact on global society

12. He's highly visible on social media

-He's able to support and communicate with fans through various social media platforms, like Instagram and Twitter. He usually gives updates about his racing career and what's going on with him outside of racing

13. His work ethic is beyond belief

-He has a strong work ethic. He's continuously dedicated to training, improvement and pushing his limits farther and farther

14. While under pressure, he's known for remaining calm and composed

-Unlike some people who would explode from high pressure, Carlos Sainz Jr. is known for being cool, calm and collected during times of high stress

15. He's an ambassador for several companies

-He is known both on and off the track for his partnership with several companies because of his popularity and good marketing skills

16. He's earned the respect of his peers

-Fellow drivers and competitors hold the highest respect for him. They recognize his talent, professional demeanor and sportsmanship in the highly competitive world of Formula 1

17. He has a strong support system

-From his father to the dedicated team members at Ferrari, he is able to reap the rewards of a strong support system who provide support and also belief in his success

18. He loves other sports as well

-Besides being in Formula 1, Carlos Sainz Jr. loves other sports as well. He plays tennis and golf, showing his talent for other sports and a love of other sports

19. His future looks bright

-With him being not only a popular driver, but a successful driver with a humble, engaging personality, the sky is the limit for him

20. He's determined to make an impact in Formula 1

-Carlos Sainz Jr. is determined to have his name put into the history of Formula 1, to be up there with such luminaries as Jackie Stewart, Nikki Lauda, Ayrton Senna and more

Getting to Know Sebastian Vettel Better

Here are some things you may or may not know about former Formula 1 driver Sebastian Vettel.

In an interview with F1 correspondent and presenter Lawrence Barretto, he learns more than ever about the media shy driver.

By the way, if you see that words like "sceptical" or "organising" are misspelled, he spelled them that way. It's most likely the European spelling of those words instead of American English spelling

He loves to take notes

"When you write with a pen, it's like you write it into your head"

Mario Thiessen, the man in charge of BMW at the time when Vettel was racing for Formula BMW, noted that Vettel would take notes about everything. He would scribble notes about every session and bring them to the following race. He was and still is a note taker. "In general, I love to take notes. I take digital notes with an iPad a bit now, but I prefer just pen and paper. When you write with a pen, it's like you write it into your head, you remember it. Also, these days, the hardware in the iPad or computer changes so often and while I'm very organised in life, with that stuff, I'm not so organised. So I don't have folders to keep for the next generation of computer/platform, and so a lot of the stuff gets lost. But if I write it down, I'm not going to chuck the notebooks away. I still have the notebooks from 2007 and so on. They're useless now, but they are still there. They are still stacked up in a bookshelf."

He has a love / hate relationship with technology

"It's designed to give you more time, but it actually does the opposite"

"I'm quite a fan of the written word. I get the whole point of emails but I think the actual letter is very nice and very personal." Vettel has a clear opinion on emails and technology. While he does acknowledge technology does makes things faster and better, he does say technological advances "are great, it has helped us to be so much faster and more efficient". He thinks it's a "fine line". To explain further, he means there is some negative impact. "A lot of the stuff is designed to actually steal your time to get you hooked. It annoys me, so I'm not a fan of that. Ultimately there is no solution, there is only yourself, and your behavior with the tools you have and the funny thing is that a lot of the stuff is designed to make life simpler and give you more time, but it actually does the opposite, it makes life complicated. I use the stuff, and I think some of the stuff is great, but sometimes I wish it didn't exist so there wouldn't be the temptation. So I think it's a fine line. It allows us to do a lot of stuff, so generally it's progressive and happy to go forward - I don't think we should go back to only pen and paper but I just think as a side effect, it speeds up life in areas where it shouldn't and that's not good for us, for the bigger picture, for our stress and our health."

His take on mobile phones

"If it's an emergency, you get a hold of people, but nowadays we treat everything as if it's an emergency"

Kimi Raikkonen, Vettel's former teammate but good friend is not a fan of phones either. It's particularly text messages that Raikkonen doesn't like. So if you plan on texting either one of these guys, don't expect a quick reply, you simply won't get it. Raikkonen is of the mindset that if someone has something dire that needs to be said, they will call. Vettel thinks the same way.

"How many times does your phone ring in a day? Almost never. And it's supposed to be a phone and now it's doing everything else. What I mean is, if it's an emergency, you get a hold of people, but nowadays we treat everything as if it's an emergency, but we actually don't act the same way about it. People send an email and they want a reply straight away, but it's not important. Not all the emails are important."

Considering the latest technology, such as the Apple iPhone? Does he have it? "I do. To be honest, the main motivator for that is the camera. I tried to go back to digital camera because I hated the fact you could do everything with your phone. I would say the coolest thing about phone is maps. I really love directions and stuff like this. And then the pictures, which allows you to capture a moment, especially with kids and so on. I think that's great. It's also very small. I went back to a digital camera, but it's quite clumsy to have in your pocket."

Why he avoids social media

"I have never tried it, so I'm not missing it"

Vettel is the only driver in Formula 1 not to have some sort of presence on social media. That even extends to the point of having apps to follow other people. The various forms of social media hold no interest for him. "I'm not big on apps, so I don't have lots of apps on phones. I don't do social media and also don't do the social media apps, so I'm not following other people."

"I never tried it and I think it's a good thing because a lot of people tell me they can't get away from it. I have never tried it so I'm not missing it. I've seen how it works with other people roughly and as far as I can tell, it's done in a way that obviously you're addicted. So yeah. Not for me."

He's a massive bookworm

"I have to finish it, because otherwise I feel guilty"

Vettel says he enjoys watching Netflix, but not often, like some people do. If has has the time, his preference is reading - which means reading actual newspapers or physical books rather than the electronic newspapers or books. "I'm a big fan of Sunday newspapers. I don't read news online, more newspaper. A lot of the news nowadays are just headlines, there's actually no content. Nothing against the journalists behind it, but it's mostly the headline, then it's repeating the headline, but actually no new information in the article. That's why Sunday newspapers or certain magazines are good - you know they have to do proper research. I read about all sorts. I don't like one particular subject. It's more about the people I find interesting. If this guy looks funny, I read the article. Of course the headline grabs you as well and then you read. But once I've started, I have to finish it. I have to finish the article, even if it bores me and it's stupid. I always hope it gets better, so I have to finish it, because otherwise I'd feel guilty. I shouldn't - that I haven't read the whole thing. I can't judge until I've read everything."

His attitude towards food

"When I was young, I just accepted it as fuel"

He's simple in his tastes for food. When he's at home, he prefers to cook his own food. One of his weaknesses is pancakes the way his mother used to make them. As he's grown up, his take on food had changed. "When I was young, I just accepted it as fuel. Being a sportsman, you get the fact it literally becomes fuel, you fuel your body to perform blah blah blah, so you try to get the best mix to enhance your performance and have a positive impact on your health. But going even further, I think there is more dynamics around this, as to where does the food come from? To become aware of what you're eating, not just which ingredients, how many calories and what it does to my body, but where does it come from? How was it grown? How was the animal grown/treated? That I find is not yet presented enough in our society, and should be. Now it's completely left to the consumer in a way. But I think there should be some way of organising where you take responsibility a bit away from the consumer, and equally the consumer should be educated more, awareness should be improved so you can make better decisions in a big picture."

Travelling often makes it hard to eat local. "Travelling is the b---- really, as you don't always have the time to look behind the scenes." When he's at home in Switzerland, he makes an effort to eat local and meet the local farmers. "I go to meet them, and see what they do. I want to first-hand convince myself, not that I'm super sceptical with everything, but you're more at peace with yourself. If you have seen it, if you see how it works, and you've spoken to the guy, and you think generally it stacks up, you can make a judgement."

He's unique

He possesses an eagle eye for details and that is what helps Vettel on the F1 grid and seen him take home 53 Grand Prix victories, 120 podiums and four World Championships. It's why he's usually the last driver to leave a circuit; he wants to talk to the team engineers, the team principals and so on. He's busy asking questions about the ins and outs of his car or the strategies the team principals or engineers have. Michael Schumacher, his hero, was successful. Vettel wants to be like him in that sense

Valtteri Bottas Believes That Formula 1 Caused Him to Develop an Eating Disorder

Valtteri Bottas, a Formula 1 driver on the Alfa Romeo team, believes Formula 1 caused him to develop an eating disorder

Three points related to this include: he went to extremes to keep his body weight low early in his career, he is of the firm belief he developed an eating disorder that has gone undiagnosed and the limits on drivers' weights have been strict, but have relaxed in years past

Valtteri Bottas is a happier, and also healthier driver in Formula 1. In his home country of Finland, Bottas did a recent interview where he stated that, early in his career, he pushed himself to extreme limits to keep his weight down. Because of this, he developed an undiagnosed eating disorder. "I trained myself to pain, physically and mentally. It got out of hand, and became an addiction. No eating disorder was officially diagnosed, but it was definitely there." Between long workouts, he would only eat steamed broccoli and other diet choices from the team he was on. "It wasn't very healthy. I wanted to be the best, and I thought I had to do that. If the team says that I have to weigh 68 kilos (150 pounds) and I naturally weigh 73 kilos (161 pounds), then they will do everything for that."

Size and weight limits in Formula 1 are strict, but have been improved

Any extra weight slows the car down, so teams want their drivers lightweight and streamlined. That means the drivers have to train hard to keep their bodies in top condition, which means being at or below the 161 pound minimum. If they're under that, weights must be added to the cars to reach the required weight.

Bottas does not have the height of other drivers. He's only 5'8'' while Thai-British driver Alexander Albon is listed as 6'2''. Bottas has more bulky muscle behind him, though. Thankfully, F1 has made a change to the rule about weight. The minimum weight is now 80 kgs (171 pounds), including the fireproof gear they wear. The gear the drivers wear is 15 pounds (7 kgs) and this figures in with the drivers' weight

Bottas describes his second year in Formula 1, 2014, as being especially hard. That season had strict requirements on weight, meaning heavier drivers were even more under the gun to lose weight. That year saw Daniel Ricciardo being forced to lose weight to get his weight down by at least 4.5 pounds (2 kilos). Ricciardo was 5'10'' and weighed 143 pounds (65 kilos). The drivers had extreme pressure on them to keep their weight down otherwise their jobs were on the line. Because of his size, 6' and 165 pound (75 kg) driver Nico Hulkenberg was, supposedly, kept from a position on the McLaren team because of his size. Then McLaren CEO Martin Whitmarsh said in a 2013 Sky Sports interview "Heavier drivers will be less attractive. It has happened by accident. We have raised the minimum weight, but the new powertrains are heavier than people expected, and now have a situation where heavier drivers could be a disadvantage."

In his 2007 autobiography, former McLaren and Red Bull Racing driver David Coulthard said that what he put himself through as a teen trying to get into Formula 1, including conditions sounding too close to bulimia. "It was an essential part of being an oversized teenager in karting, making weight. I would have my dinner, weigh myself and if I was too heavy, I'd go swimming and exercise and try to control my weight by being sick."

Bottas said that the rule changes in 2019 helped immensely. He stated they helped his immune system because he was not cutting as much weight off. "I think the regulation is good, especially for the taller drivers. It makes life a bit easier. Many drivers had to be below our natural weight, and it is very easy to get ill or sick. This is the first winter for many years that I didn't get any flu or any sickness."

George Russell says 1million euro fines are "ridiculous" and "obscene"

Mercedes AMG F1 driver George Russell says that €1m fines are "ridiculous" and "obscene". He fired back at the FIA for the ridiculous fines they institute for fines

In the International Sporting Code for the FIA, the governing body of Formula 1 has increased the fine issued to a Formula 1 driver from €250,000 to €1m. This update has been left untouched for the last 12 years and, according to the FIA "does not reflect the current needs of motorsport." George Russell believes otherwise. The Mercedes AMG driver feels that quadrupling the fine from its original amount to the current amount was "ridiculous", given that F1 drivers just starting out in grand prix or F1 racing earn nowhere near that kind of income. Ahead of the US Grand Prix weekend in Austin, Russell said in an interview "I think it's pretty ridiculous that a driver could be fined €1m. In my first year of Formula 1, I was on a five-figure salary and actually lost over six figures in that first year from paying for my trainer, paying for flights, paying for an assistant. And that's probably the case for 25% of the grid. We're doing what we love, so we're not complaining about that. But if you take a year one driver probably by the end of the year is losing over €100,000 because of the investments he has to make, you fine them a million. What's going to happen?" Russell continued on, adding that he says the drivers asked the FIA for more transparency on what the money from the fines will go towards

When he was asked about if he thought the issue would arise again, he said "For sure. There's no doubt about it. We just want transparency and understanding. I think already the fines are getting out of control. [Max] Verstappen being fined 50,000 for touching a car. Lewis [Hamilton] being fined 50,000 [for crossing a live track in Qatar]. It feels like these numbers are being plucked out the air. When there's a lot of global issues going on and so much poverty around the world, how a federation can just make up these six, seven figure fines? We've requested before from the FIA ot hear where these fines are going toward, what causes they're going to. It needs to be reinvested into grassroots, but so far we've had no response on where that's going. If they truly believe a €1m fine is worthwhile and it's going to be reinvested into the sport, then maybe one of the drivers who's being paid a lot is happy to pay that fine. But it seems obscene."

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen has included some comments on this. "If touching your rear wing is 50k, then I would like to know what one million is. Then maybe we can sponsor also the bottles of wines. I'll get ready..." Russell's Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton also added "When it comes to things like this, we really need to be thinking the message that that sends out to those who are watching. If they are going to be fining a million, let's make sure that 100% of that goes to a cause. There's a lot of money in this whole industry and there's a lot more that we need to do in terms of creating better accessibility, better diversity, more opportunities for people who wouldn't normally have a chance to get into a sport like this. That's the only way they'll get that million from me."

November Birthdays

Since it's November, time to say Happy Birthday

Lando Norris

-DOB: 11/13/1999

-Where: Bristol, United Kingdom

-As a teenager, McLaren already had their eye on him as rose through the ranks of racing before bringing him into Formula 1 in 2019

Billy Idol

-Birth name: William Michael Albert Broad

-DOB: 11/30/1955

-Where: Stanmore, United Kingdom

-Spent a good majority of his childhood in Long Island, New York, and lost his English accent

Tommy Thayer

-Birth name: Thomas Cunningham Thayer

-DOB: 11/7/1960

-Where: Portland, Oregon

-When Kiss was touring during the late 1990s-early 2000s with the old, original lineup, Thayer worked as a road crew member

Rick Allen

-Birth name: Richard John Cyril Allen

-DOB: 11/1/1963

-Where: Sheffield, United Kingdom

-He spent his 16th birthday on tour with Def Leppard

Roger Glover

-Birth name: Roger David Glover

-DOB: 11/30/1945

-Where: Brecon, United Kingdom

-He left Deep Purple in 1973, along with Ian Gillan, due to disagreements with then guitarist Ritchie Blackmore

DJ Ashba

-Birth name: Daren Jay Ashba

-DOB: 11/10/1972

-Where: Monticello, Indiana

-Previously played guitar for Guns 'N' Roses before joining the new band Sixx A.M.

Frankie Banali

-DOB: 11/14/1951

-Where: Queens, New York

-DOD: 8/20/2020

-Where: Los Angeles, California

-Played drums for Steppenwolf in 1978

Rudy Sarzo

-Birth name: Rodolfo Maximiliano Sarzo Laveille Grande Ruiz Payret y Chaumont

-DOB: 11/18/1950

-Where: Havana, Cuba

-He is best known for playing bass for Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot and Whitesnake

Steven Van Zandt

-DOB: 11/22/1950

-Where: Watertown, Massachusetts

-He took the name "Van Zandt" from his Dutch grandfather

Sebastian Vettel clears up why drivers Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton can't be compared

Former Aston Martin team driver Sebastian Vettel clears up why current Mercedes AMG driver Lewis Hamilton and current Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen can't be compared.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are fierce rivals; former F1 driver and close friend to Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, says that one cannot compare Max Verstappen to Lewis Hamilton for "best there's ever been" driver. That there's not "one formula".

Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes team ruled the Formula 1 world for seven years. From 2013-2020, the young British driver won six Drivers' Championship titles. He also broke record after record to win an incredible 103 wins and 104 pole positions. Now it seems Verstappen wants some of that success. According to Sebastian Vettel, "There's not one formula, one recipe to success."

At the Italian Grand Prix, the 25 year old Belgian-Dutch driver put his name in sports history by winning a 10th successive race and breaking Vettel's record of nine races won. As such, Red Bull extended their record winning streak to 15 wins for the team. That's just the beginning of records falling to Verstappen and his team. This is leading fans to ask where Verstappen is among the ranking of greatest F1 drivers.

In an interview with Martin Brundle of Sky Sports, Vettel had this to say. "It's impossible to rank drivers. The beauty of it is they're different. You cannot compare Max to Lewis, there's not one formula, one recipe to success. Lewis was rated as the best there's ever been, Max is demonstrating at the minute that he's pulling off something that's never been done before. I think Max is a great driver. He's able to adapt very quickly. He's able to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. He's learned and understood the sport, and he will get better in that regard and happy to go racing - that's what he loves."

Verstappen's successes this current season, along with the dominating way in which he's won, have led some to believe Formula 1 has become boring. That it's boring when he wins all the time. The Belgian-Dutch driver has made it very clear that he doesn't care. His motivation is winning and winning by the biggest margin available. Vettel does state he deserves more credit for what he's doing with Red Bull. "It's a state of mind more than anything else. I mean, so many incredible things need to come together for the run he had now, which is incredible. People say he's got a dominant car, he might have, you know he has a very good car. But also for the team, the job they're pulling off every weekend, it's incredible. And you see other drivers, they're not as consistent. Everybody should get up and applaud. I know that people don't like to see the same guy winning and so on. With Michael [Schumacher] it was like that. And with Lewis, and with myself for a short time. You cannot appreciate the excellence enough."

Sebastian Vettel warns Lewis Hamilton of racial things being said by other F1 teams

Sebastian Vettel, formerly of Ferrari and Aston Martin, said he warned close friend, Mercedes AMG driver Lewis Hamilton of racial things said by other teams.

Sebastian Vettel supports Lewis Hamilton in F1 racing. The German racer supports his close friend and warns him about things being said about Hamilton because of his unique looks. In an interview, Lewis Hamilton said he was warned by close friend Sebastian Vettel that other teams were saying unkind, racial things about him behind his back. Hamilton is the only black driver in Formula 1 and he has faced plenty of discrimination in both Formula 1 and various parts of society.

Very often, Hamilton had Vettel's support when it came to unfair times on the grid and even believing things needed to change in the F1 paddock. It was said that Hamilton was warned by Vettel that unfair, racial things were being said behind his back. On the DAZN programme, True Driver, Hamilton said in an interview "We have to get people to empathise, we need empathy. Sometimes I wonder, does nobody else care? Sebastian was one of those people who supported me the most. He told me that in some teams they spoke racist things about me. He knelt down with me in 2020, I have not yet seen a driver as brave as him. The laws must be changed so that people live better. We are risking our lives to try to educate others."

Vettel also developed an interest in environmental practices during the later parts of his Formula 1 career and shed light on how to do sustainable practices. Hamilton has also spoken up about other issues during his F1 career, including preserving the environment, animal rights and LGBTQ+ acceptance, which he advertises on his current helmet, which is donned in rainbow colors. He said "I don't know what my next project will be. Animal protection laws have to continue to be reviewed, with the environment. It's hard for people to see the disasters that happen. I have Mission 44, a project that I launched in London and I want to expand it to Africa and the US, with which we want to instill in children that they can have a good future, that they can become engineers or whatever they want."

Formula 1 Teams and Drivers

Teams

Red Bull Racing: Sergio Perez, Max Verstappen

Ferrari: Charles LeClerc, Carlos Sainz

Mercedes: George Russell, Lewis Hamilton

McLaren: Daniel Ricciardo, Lando Norris

Alfa Romeo: Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu

Alpine: Esteban Ocon, Fernando Alonso

Alpha Tauri: Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda

Haas F1 Team: Kevin Magnusson, Mick Schumacher

Aston Martin: Lance Stroll, Sebastian Vettel

Williams: Nicholas Latifi, Alexander Albon

Drivers

Charles LeClerc: Monaco, Team Ferrari, #16

Max Verstappen: The Netherlands, Red Bull Racing, #1

Sergio Perez: Mexico, Red Bull Racing, #11

George Russell: United Kingdom, Mercedes, #63

Carlos Sainz: Spain, Team Ferrari, #55

Lewis Hamilton: United Kingdom, Mercedes, #44

Lando Norris: United Kingdom, McLaren, #4

Valtteri Bottas: Finland, Alfa Romeo, #77

Esteban Ocon: France, Alpine, #31

Kevin Magnussen: Denmark, Haas F1 Team, #20

Daniel Ricciardo: Australia, McLaren, #3

Yuki Tsunoda: Japan, Alpha Tauri, #22

Pierre Gasly: France, Alpha Tauri, #10

Sebastian Vettel: Germany, Aston Martin, #5

Alexander Albon: Thailand, Williams, #23

Fernando Alonso: Spain, Alpine, #14

Lance Stroll: Canada, Aston Martin, #18

Zhou Guanyu: China, Alfa Romeo, #24

Mick Schumacher: Germany, Haas F1 team, #47

Nico Hulkenberg: Germany, Aston Martin, #27

Nicholas Latifi: Canada, Williams, #6

Nico Rosberg: Germany, Williams, #6

Jenson Button: United Kingdom, Williams, #22 (now does sideline interviews)

Antonio Giovanazzi: Italy, Dragon/Penske Autosport, #99

Romain Grosjean: Geneva, Switzerland, Andretti Autosport (Indy Cars) #8

Nikita Mazepin: Russia, Haas F1 team, #9

Brendon Hartley: New Zealand, Toyota Gazoo Racing (FIA World Endurance Championships), #28

Karun Chandhok: India, Mahindra Racing, #5 (does sideline interviews and works as a commentator during the races)

Daniil Kvyat: Russia, Scuderia Torro Rosso, #26

Robert Kubica: Poland, BMW Sauber, #88

Felipe Massa: Brazil, Williams, #19