Pit Stop | Why Lewis Hamilton's fashion faux pas rivals Williams' bungled coup d'etat
Lewis Hamilton humiliated at Wimbledon, while Williams lose the plot at Silverstone with Mercedes at their mercy
It can be tough being a racing driver in Formula One. Spare a thought for poor old Lewis Hamilton. Flush from his new contract, he could probably afford to buy all the tickets for the men's tennis final at Wimbledon. Instead, he was invited to take a place in the Royal Box to watch Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer battle it out.
He duly posted a pic of the invite on social media and if you look closely you can see not only the invite, but also the guide. He should have paid more attention; the Briton was refused entry because he showed up wearing a Fedora and floral shirt. Fashion-conscious Hamilton then declined the club's offer of a jacket and tie.
Fashion-conscious Hamilton then declined the club's offer of a jacket and tie
There are frustrations in the life of a racing driver; ones that affect the day job. Valtteri Bottas finished fifth at Silverstone in a race that should have provided at least a podium place if not a win.
One of the main reasons he didn't was because his team messed up. Williams were back to their recent best at their home grand prix. A stellar start saw both Bottas and Filipe Massa tear ahead of Mercedes off the grid and into the lead.
With the Brazilian ahead of the Finn, but Bottas obviously quicker, he asked his team if he could pass. No, came the reply, hold station and don't race. A couple of laps later, the team changed their mind but it was too late and Bottas' chance was seemingly gone.
If Williams had ordered Massa to let Bottas pass, and he managed to build up a lead, he might well have kept the team at the front of the race at least a bit longer than their 19 laps. As it was, Hamilton was close enough to pit a lap early and jump both the cars into the lead.
