F1’s Hall of Shame

Following a call for solidarity from Lewis Hamilton, 14 drivers took a knee at the start of the Austrian Grand Prix yesterday. That means that six didn’t. Who were they?

I’m prepared to give a pass to Daniil Kvyat. He has to survive in Russia. There are all sorts of political pressures on him that other drivers don’t experience.

Another four have something in common. Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi drive for an Italian-based team that are Ferrari engine customers. Charles LeClerc drives for Ferrari, and Carlos Sainz will be driving for Ferrari next year. The only exception is the second Ferrari driver, Sebastien Vettel, but they have fired him so he can do what he likes. Haas are also Ferrari engine customers, but the team is American-owned and neither driver is Italian.

So I think there is more going on here than drivers expressing an opinion. It is possible that there’s only one driver who wasn’t under political pressure of some sort not to join the protest.

That would be Max Verstappen, whom I suspect made that choice because he wanted to get under Lewis’s skin. Christian Horner needs to give the boy a good talking to.