The broadcaster, who was the voice of Formula One on British television, has died aged 97. His career spanned more than 50 years at the BBC and ITV before he retired from commentating in 2001
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Murray Walker, the voice of Formula One, dies aged 97
- Tributes paid after broadcaster’s death announced
- Walker first commentated on F1 in 1978 for the BBC
For generations of British fans, Murray Walker, who died on Saturday at the age of 97, was, quite simply, the voice of Formula One.
The affection with which he was held by the paddock and across the sport rose from an enthusiasm and often overlooked a dedication to his craft that has rarely been matched in any discipline. Few commentators come to truly epitomise their subject, but over Walker’s 23 years of bringing F1 to the nation he was acknowledged as a true great, and a unique talent.
Continue reading...Lewis Hamilton tests positive for Covid-19 and will miss F1 Sakhir GP
- World champion had ‘mild symptoms’ after Bahrain win
- Hamilton tested positive before second race at venue
Lewis Hamilton will miss this weekend’s Sakhir Grand Prix in Bahrain after testing positive for coronavirus.
The seven-time Formula One world champion is in isolation after his positive result was announced on Tuesday morning.
Continue reading...Lewis Hamilton’s win at Bahrain GP overshadowed by Grosjean’s huge crash
- Romain Grosjean walks away from flaming wreck of car
- Hamilton wins race after long-delayed restart
Climbing from a raging fireball and the twisted wreckage of his car, Romain Grosjean, and indeed Formula One, enjoyed what might be considered a miraculous escape at the Bahrain Grand Prix. The entire paddock and viewers around the world held their breath when the French driver smashed into trackside barriers, his car splitting in two and being engulfed in flames. The visceral, violent and horrifying scale of the accident was sickening and yet Grosjean emerged relatively unscathed, a remarkable testament to the drive for safety the sport has relentlessly pursued.
Such is F1’s recent safety record the perception of motorsport’s extraordinary danger has perhaps been diminished. With Grosjean hurtling through the brutal moments of distorting metal and fiery heat, the notion was dispelled completely.
Continue reading...F1 has ‘massive’ problem to address over human rights, says Lewis Hamilton
- Bahrain’ regime has been accused of sportswashing
- ‘As a sport we need to do more,’ says world champion
Lewis Hamilton has insisted that Formula One has a “consistent and massive” problem it must address with human rights abuses in countries it visits. The world champion was speaking in Bahrain which has been accused of sportswashing, torture and oppression this week and is to host the first of two consecutive races this weekend.
This week Hamilton was asked to address the issue in letters sent to him by three Bahraini citizens alleging they had been victims of oppression and torture by the Bahraini authorities. He said he would be considering their content in detail in the forthcoming days but was unequivocal that F1 had to make steps to address human rights abuses in the countries it visits.
Continue reading...Lewis Hamilton: ‘Watching George Floyd brought up so much suppressed emotion’
Hamilton has just equalled the record of seven F1 world championships – many believe he is the greatest driver of all time. And this year, more than ever, he has been leading the fight against racism
At the end of 2019, Lewis Hamilton had a realisation about Formula One. “I was looking at pictures of all the teams – they do these team photos in front of the garage or on the track – and they’ve posted all these pictures and I’m like, there are no people of colour in any of these teams.”
Hamilton says he had always thought that his presence and his incredible success would “spark change”. Somewhat naively, he now acknowledges he thought his career as the world’s most successful racing driver – along with the presence of his dad, Anthony, and his racing driver brother, Nicolas – would be enough to “open up doorways” for others. The realisation that after all these years it wasn’t happening led him to rethink.
Continue reading...Lewis Hamilton wins Turkish GP to clinch record-equalling seventh F1 title
- Briton now level with Michael Schumacher on championships
- Mercedes star comes through rain after starting sixth on grid
Lewis Hamilton delivered high drama and high emotion for the spectacle of a coronation worthy of one of the greatest champions Formula One has produced. His victory at the Turkish Grand Prix sealed the championship and his seventh title. With it Hamilton has achieved what was once thought impossible, matching Michael Schumacher’s record tally and in doing so becoming the most successful F1 driver of all time.
He could not have achieved it in greater style than with the panache and mastery he produced at Istanbul Park in what can rightly be described as a champion’s drive.
Continue reading...Bernie Ecclestone says black people are often ‘more racist’ than white people
- Former F1 chief says the sport is ‘too busy’ to deal with racism
- Ecclestone also questions Lewis Hamilton’s experiences
Bernie Ecclestone has claimed black people are “more racist” than white people and said Formula One has been “too busy” to deal with racism in an astonishing television interview.
The former chief executive of Formula One and a name synonymous with the sport said in an exchange with CNN that racism “makes me so upset”. He also said he did not think Lewis Hamilton’s experiences of racism had affected the driver. Hamilton, the six-times world champion, recently said he had felt the “stigma of racism” throughout his F1 career.
Continue reading...FBI investigates after noose found in garage of Bubba Wallace, Nascar’s only black driver
- Driver has campaigned to ban Confederate flag at events
- Alabama governor condemns ‘mark this leaves on our state’
- Interview: Bubba Wallace on Nascar and the Confederate flag
The FBI has launched an investigation after a noose was found in the team garage of Bubba Wallace, Nascar’s only black full-time driver. The noose was discovered at Alabama’s Talladega Superspeedway as Nascar prepared for a race, which was subsequently delayed by bad weather, on Sunday.
“Regardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society,” Jay Town, the US attorney for Alabama’s southern district, said on Monday. He added that his office, along with the FBI and the justice department’s civil rights division, were involved in the investigation.
Continue reading...F1 set to bankroll British Grand Prix to follow season opener in Austria
- July start may include two Silverstone races without fans
- French GP cancelled but F1 aims to stage up to 18 races
Formula One Group is likely to provide the financial backing to enable the British Grand Prix to go ahead behind closed doors this year. F1 announced on Monday that the French GP had been cancelled and it would reschedule the start of the 2020 season for Austria on 5 July with the first few races, including Silverstone, not taking place in front of fans.
The Northamptonshire track relies upon the income from racegoers in order to pay for the race. Without it the track would be unable to meet either hosting fees or the expense of putting on the race if it is allowed to take place by the government.
Continue reading...Stirling Moss took high place among the greats with dash and elan | Giles Richards
Recognised as the best driver never to win an F1 world championship, Moss was revered and feted by his peers
That Sir Stirling Moss, who died on Sunday, remained one of the most well-known British racing drivers of any generation was in no little part down to the affection and admiration he engendered, which extended beyond motor racing and across the public consciousness. This was partly, of course, because he was the inspiration for the 1960s policemen’s inquiry to speeding drivers: “Who do you think you are? Stirling Moss?”
Related: Sir Stirling Moss, F1 great, dies aged 90
Continue reading...Sir Stirling Moss, F1 great, dies aged 90
- Legendary driver and broadcaster dies after long illness
- Lewis Hamilton: ‘I am grateful for special moments with him’
Lewis Hamilton led the tributes to Sir Stirling Moss after the much-loved and respected former racing driver’s death at the age of 90 was confirmed by his wife.
Moss, who was widely acknowledged as one of the greatest drivers never to have won the Formula One world title, died at his London home in the early hours of Sunday morning following a long illness. “It was one lap too many,” said Lady Moss. “He just closed his eyes.”
Continue reading...Anger as F1 teams get go-ahead to drive on Dutch nature reserve
Teams allowed to take beach route to get to Netherlands’ first F1 grand prix in 35 years
The return of Formula One to the Netherlands after 35 years has become mired in controversy after two racing teams got the green light to drive across a beach nature reserve to ensure their staff avoid traffic on the way to the circuit.
The teams of Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri will be allowed to drive from their hotels along two miles of beach within the Noordvoort reserve, a popular resting spot for seals and breeding birds located between the Zandvoort racetrack and the North Sea.
Continue reading...Lewis Hamilton hails ‘best and toughest season’ after sixth F1 world title
• Mercedes driver completes third championship in a row
• Valtteri Bottas wins US Grand Prix with Hamilton second
• Valtteri Bottas wins US Grand Prix with Hamilton second
Lewis Hamilton said that 2019 has been his best and toughest season after he secured his sixth world title on Sunday with a second-place finish in the United States Grand Prix.
Number six gives the 34-year-old sole ownership of second place on the all-time list. The greatest driver of his generation has overtaken Juan Manuel Fangio, whose championships came in the 1950s, leaving him one behind Michael Schumacher. Few would bet against Hamilton equalling the German next year, given the Briton’s relentless desire for self-improvement.
Continue reading...Leading car in World Solar Challenge bursts into flames
NunaX car of Dutch team catches fire 250km before finish of 3,000km Darwin to Adelaide race
The leading car in the World Solar Challenge has caught fire and withdrawn from the race a little more than 250km from the Adelaide finish.
The NunaX car of Dutch team Vattenfall caught fire just before Mambray Creek on Thursday.
Continue reading...Mercedes F1 team sack four over racist bullying of Muslim colleague
• Quartet dismissed from Brackley HQ and three disciplined
• ‘We condemn this behaviour in the strongest terms’
Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes team have sacked four of their staff members and disciplined three more for racist bullying. The team launched an inquiry into racism at their Northamptonshire headquarters in July and concluded that the four men had breached their equality policy. They were dismissed on 2 August and their final appeal was held last week.
The Sun newspaper reported on Saturday that the abuse at the Brackley site included a member of staff allegedly being referred to as a “Muslim terrorist fuck”. During Ramadan the sacked workers, believed to be from the IT department, were reported as putting up a poll on which they signed and dated guesses of when their co-worker would break his fast.
Continue reading...Dale Earnhardt Jr and family survive small plane crash – video
US safety agencies are investigating the crash of a small plane in Tennessee that was carrying retired race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr and his wife and daughter. Earnhardt's sister Kelley tweeted that the two pilots of the Cessna Citation and three family members were safe and being taken to a hospital for observation. There were no serious injuries, according to officials in Tennessee cited by media. Earnhardt, who was Nascar's longtime biggest star, gave up full-time racing after the 2017 season. He now broadcasts Nascar races for NBC Sports
Continue reading...Vintage cars on show at Moscow rally – in pictures
The annual GUM AutoRally is the most prestigious event of the vintage car show season in Russia
Continue reading...Niki Lauda obituary
Star racing driver who survived a near-fatal crash to win the Formula One world championship three times
Niki Lauda was attempting to win his second Formula One world title when he was almost killed in one of the most famous accidents in the history of motor sport. As his Ferrari caught fire after hitting a bank at high speed during the 1976 German Grand Prix, Lauda lay unconscious in the cockpit. Other drivers stopped and tried to help. One, Arturo Merzario, plunged into the flames to unbuckle the Austrian’s safety harness. Eventually he was extricated and taken to hospital, where he was treated for burns so severe that he was given the last rites.
Related: Niki Lauda: the three-time Formula One world champion's life – in pictures
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