Lewis Hamilton recalls spraying Russian President Vladimir Putin with champagne at the 2015 Russian Grand Prix.
After winning the 2015 Russian GP, Lewis Hamilton sprayed the Russian President Vladimir Putin by mistake. Recalling the incident, Hamilton revealed that he was told that Putin’s body double was present at the podium.
At the Jimmy Kimmel Live show, Kimmel asked Hamilton if this is the craziest thing he has done, Hamilton said, “The funny thing is that we were told that it was actually his[Putin] double. They had so much security. They had these bags with some serious mail inside.”
Kimmel asked, “Do you think it was a double or was it the real Putin?” The Briton replied, “No idea. All I know is I did not want to spray him.”
The idea that #F1 drivers will rock up in Putin’s Russia and take part in a motor race is unthinkable. The #F1A must withdraw the race immediately from the calendar. No prevarication, no excuses. Today.
Russian GP
— Andrew Staden, esq. #NotMyPrimeMinister (@RolandsDelectus) February 24, 2022
Furthermore, he joked, “I have seen movies, I know what the Russians are capable of. I love the Russian people.” The host laughed and said, “But Vladimir Putin is a scary individual”, to which Hamilton agreed and said “absolutely.”
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Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel should speak against the 2022 Russian GP
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the F1 fans are furious and have called for a change of calendar. The Russian GP is scheduled to be held in September.
Russian President announced a military invasion of Ukraine after which explosions were heard across the country. With both, Russia and Ukraine, on the brink of war, the US, European Union and the United Kingdom have brought sanctions against Russia.
The ongoing crisis has already had an impact on the sporting world. The UEFA is reconsidering its decision to conduct the Champions League final in Moscow this year.
F1 fans have also expressed their concerns over the Russian GP. One user on Reddit said, “F1 needs to cancel the Russian race – NOW. Sanctions are about to come in and it will be a poor look if F1 goes through the process sitting on the fence.”
The user named u/prototype went on to say that image of “Putin standing on the podium after the race will be very reminiscent of the 1936 Olympics” which were held in Berlin. At that time Adolf Hitler had used the image to show off the might of his Nazi nation to the world.
Another user said, “I think as long as we have Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel in F1, the chances of anyone listening is certainly higher than it would be without them. It just depends on the pair of them to speak up because they’re the ones who are most likely to be heard.
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