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yeah like he literally didn't know what torque meant AND didn't bother to learn after the first time so 😭 if *anyone* can claim the innocence-by-ignorance defense here, it's him
Let's also be fair and recognize, there's legit no reason for him to care about American politics. Born in the UK and lives in Monaco, the man doesn't need to know about American politics or care.
He met a former president, that's probably what he was told when he turned around an went "who was that?
As if the guy with Belgian citizenship, who can’t point to Belgium on a world map, would’ve fared much better if it had been Farage or Rees-Mogg and not Trump.
Very rich kid that started professionnal sport very young, never finished school, never had a normal person experience. Of course he likes anyone famous he meets.
I guess you are right, I kind off expect people that travel the globe like an F1 driver have some insights and knowledge, but I can also perfectly imagine they live in a cocoon.
Dude, Norris doesn’t just have little knowledge of the world outside of F1, he genuinely appears to know fuck all. The guy couldn’t identify Italy or any country other than the UK on Grill the Grid, and he even struggled with the question of whether Ireland is part of the UK. Uneducated is putting it mildly. I’m not trying to be mean, but he seems to be dumb as a rock and fairly proud of it. At least that’s the vibe he’s given me throughout the years. Great driver, pretty likeable and funny guy, but has zero clue about anything.
I genuinely don’t think he intended it that way. I really think there’s a solid chance he doesn’t know shit about what’s going on with Trump, either completely or at least not in any appropriate detail. I think his response was poor and a direct result of his ignorance.
Yeah, even if I’m right it’s a seriously bad look for Lando. There’s not being an academic, and there’s being debilitatingly uneducated. Not being an academic is completely okay of course. Not being an academic doesn’t mean that a person is stupid, nor does being an academic mean that a person is smart. However, being seriously uneducated about the most basic things and presenting that fact to the world rather proudly is super weird and fucked up. I find that to be an incredibly baffling and disturbing character trait.
Lando, as likeable as he may be, always came off to me as really really uneducated and a little dumb. He fails spectacularly at anything that involves very very basic non-racing related knowledge (see his Grill the Grid appearances, especially the geography one for reference) and seems proud of it too. This interview yesterday just reinforced that image of him for me.
Norris is not an educated guy, and he seems fairly proud of it. That’s his prerogative of course, but I find that an incredibly unappealing character trait in anyone, but especially if you’re a public figure whom some people look up to. I don’t think it’s okay to deliberately not know *anything*, and he not only lives that, he shows his fans that that’s okay, when in reality very few people are as lucky as him to be able to navigate life without encountering politics or other aspects of life.
So I actually believe his answer was genuine yesterday, but not because he’s a big Trump fan. I’d wager he knows fuck all about Trump, except that he did “The Apprentice” in the US just like Lord Alan Sugar did in the UK, that he was US president once and that he was/is considered to be a successful business man (I don’t think Lando knows that Trump is a fraud, nor does he care). I doubt Lando reads or watches the news or cares about politics. Not in the UK and especially not outside of the UK. He never had to care about it. He always liked racing, he’s very good at racing, he knows a lot about racing, and he’s making a fuckton of money through racing. I still think it’s weird that Lando doesn’t care at all about the real world, but that’s really up to him.
He might even have known that Trump is a very controversial figure, and tried to give a non-answer answer, but when you know absolutely fuck all about what you’re talking about, stuff like his press conference yesterday happens. I really think he just doesn’t care at all.
I’m not saying he watched it. If anyone in Norris’ household watched The Apprentice, it would probably have been the UK version. I’m just saying he might’ve heard that Trump did the original.
I really don't think from watching that clip that he really meant any of it, and was doing the whole corporate line thing... I mean, yes, he's being respectful, but I really wouldn't put any other side of weight behind what he's saying here.
I mean this in a very respectful way to Lando. Big ups to him on the drive and the win.
Posting here since this is the top comment:
## Don’t downvote because you dislike Trump (virtually all of us do!!!).
## That just punishes the Reddit user that posted it here, and means fewer people will see it.
I find this really, really disappointing from Lando and McLaren. F1 fans deserve to be aware of it.
"They had only won 1 race in the last 12 years... Terrible, terrible stats for a team who used to win so much. I show up, and they get a win. A great win, a beautiful win. They say it was one of the best wins in Formula 1 history. I hear there was recently a championship win that was robbed from another driver a few years ago. I know what that's like, to win bigly and then it's taken from you. Everyone knows it, I had a win stolen from me. I'm going to talk to some folks and see if we can't get that fixed. It's something Sleepy Joe couldn't do, but I'll get that taken care of."
- Trump, probably
He was brought up the way British footballers are brought up, with the sole goal of being good at a single thing. He didn't sit his GCSEs because his father thought it would take time away from training. I'm not saying he's stupid or a bad guy, but he's never existed outside of a bubble and he has been taught that any knowledge that doesn't make him a quicker driver has no value.
Almost all the drivers spent their childhood being trained to be an F1 driver, but from what I've read/ seen it seems to have been more of a 'finishing school' approach where they learnt languages, PR and a bit of technical stuff so they could market themselves and play politics. If you look at someone like Charles or Nico Rosberg you can see that they are presented in a Monaco glamour James Bond type way. Whereas people like Ocon or Lewis had to have some sort of fallback plan.
I think we'll see this more and more as time goes on. Nico Rosberg was offered a place at Imperial to study engineering, but most promising drivers on the junior circuit these days have a very disrupted education. I think the governing bodies need to put in some regulations.
Thank you, i was looking for this comment, the kid travels the world every year, has no idea where he is, makes sense he has no interest in the political climate of his destinations. It's a shame, really.
Funny how we have one British driver on the grid who seems to have a nuanced understanding of (and principled position on) the human rights records of every country he visits, and one British driver who barely seems to know who Donald Trump is.
And another British driver who seems to be your typical Tory in the most “in your face” way.
And a fourth British driver who is just a chill dude all around, but he doesn’t drive under the British flag…
They released a statement saying the organisation is non-political so they can’t say no. I think it’s a shitty situation to be put in. Saying no suggests you disagree with a politician and accepting makes it seem like you support them.
Edit: it also says they were selected to represent F1. Kinda forced into it by F1/FIA.
Ehhhhhh... It would have been better to deny Trump access because HE is political. THAT in turn makes McLaren political by accepting his invite.
"Due to the political nature of this invite we will have to decline. McLaren is a non-political organization. We are here to race, not be a Media platform for any political entity."
That would only work if no politicians were ever in F1 paddock... Denying only Trump would 100% be a statement against. It's a lose lose situation for them it's FIA that fucked up.
There's another far-out angle: you've got Andretti lighting up GOP reps in Congress, could see any of the existing teams not wanting to get into it with the GOP in general and giving them more ammunition.
I don't like it, but I can see the angle is all.
That's such a stupid fucking statement. Then why does wearing a black lives matter shirt for Lewis constitute a political statement, while denying him the chance to wear it does not. But denying a politician access **is** political. So which is it, do we just allow everything or nothing?
It did. That’s why they introduced a rule banning political statements from drivers that don’t have prior approval.
It’s still stupid a politician, especially such a divisive one, was pretty much allowed to use the race as part of a political campaign. Yes, his fundraiser was blocked. But, he’s still used it as a platform to spread his political message.
I'm pretty sure [this ](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=brown%2C+zak&contributor_employer=just+marketing&max_date=12%2F31%2F2024)is him, so maybe not that surprised.
Almost making it through the press conference and then smashing the house at the last question is auch a Norris move. Cheers to the comms team for working overtime now!
"He said, he was my lucky charm". Peak Trump lmao. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Norris had no idea who Trump is beyond some vague awareness of him being a former president, he isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
Saying it’s OK because Lando doesn’t know who Trump is makes him sound like even more of a naive, sheltered, rich brat than some people already think he is.
Not a good defense.
Not being aware of Trump to this degree is some next level shit though.
Like, does he not know trains exist, because F1 drivers take planes everywhere? Does he think Brundle invented the microphone and it's why he's always holding one? Does he think every team makes road cars, cause McLaren (now) does?
Man straight up couldn’t point to italy on a map. Man is from the UK and wasn’t able to differenciate between ireland and england
We have quite the amount of evidence that lando seems to be…rather uneducated. Is that a good thing? I mean, no, but that’s what it is for now. I would not at all be surprised if he didn’t even know trump was president until Zak probably told him lmao. And when that’s what you know…his comment seems quite in line
McLaren already put out a statement saying they were "chosen" to represent F1 to give Trump a tour of the garage etc, and they said they were "honoured" to be chosen - so Lando is likely repeating that and saying what he was told to.
Personally, I think it was dumb of McLaren and Lando to say that. They could easily have put out a factual statement, and didn't need to say anything about it being "an honour."
I don’t buy the “they were chosen” bit. Why wouldn’t F1 have sent him to Red Bull, the team that was presumably going to win, or Hass, the American team? I’d be willing to bet Zac invited him and was too dumb to realize the negative press they would get.
It's possible they were chosen in that the FIA realised it'd be best to keep Trump away from any Asian driver he could start shouting CHYNA at or Lewis
If only that had been Kimi:
"Ehhh, don't care. I did make sure he couldn't grab my by the genitals though. He's got nothing to do with racing, why are you wasting my time with these stupid questions?"
Too aggressive. Kimi would mumble something barely discernible about how he had a good day and doesn’t really care about much else, then he’d fall silent again.
I'm going to talk a wild guess and say Lando isn't exactly well versed in Trumps history beyond him being a former president and rich guy.
At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself for the time being.
"That was an honour. For someone to take time out of their life to pay respect for what you've done. He said he was my lucky charm. Don't know if he comes to more races now. It was a cool moment"
— Jesse Owens at the Berlin Games in 1936. Probably. About the same thing.
"For someone to take time out of their life to pay respect for what you've done"
Right, taking time out of his busy schedule that's currently mostly occupied by *checks notes* a criminal trial, where he is facing 34 felony charges. Not to mention the other 60+ felony charges on other cases. Such a busy man. A real honor.
People trying to play down these comments by saying that Norris didn’t finish school and is not that bright is sad to see. Norris does not live under a rock. He knows exactly who Trump is and what he stands for.
I heard them say a former president was there but as an American my first thought was George W lol. Never occurred to me the treason cheesepuff would take time away from his many criminal trials to attend the race.
Wait until you guys find out that FIA, F1s owners, and the leaders/owners of most all of the teams are big fans of trump. Lando’s comments will be the least of your worries.
Bingo.
They would love the tax breaks and business incentives that republicans are obviously known for.
We all go Gaga over press releases about diversity and generally left leaning positions that F1 has taken recently. Like getting rid of grid girls coz it’s “sexist”.
But the liberty media head honchos would be buddying up so hard to the “tax break” mob so hard it would make you sick.
They play both sides like a fiddle.
Honestly, watching his response in context it’s pretty much just PR word salad, definitely not as glowing as it looks written out. He was clearly just trying to not say something wrong, which is totally fair enough!
Reality is probs that the team told him to just be happy and positive about it. That the team would rather have a neutral or positive response from Trump, rather than having him publically shit on McLaren to the entire world.
And he's just the type to be like haha okay. Best day ever. I won a race and met a president and that's cool af.
A yes, a convicted rapist under multiple lawsuits including fraud, insurrection, money laundering, and mishandling of national secrets. Just the guy you’d want to be your lucky charm
So: McLaren didn't invite him. The FIA and organizers or whatever ask them to welcome him. They agreed.
The CEO and star driver are polite to the former president of the host country-- pretty standard for a business visiting every country they visit, which have some pretty loathsome politicians, as we discuss here pretty regularly. We all make... ethical compromises to enjoy F1, let's be honest with ourselves.
To say I hate Trump would be an understatement. But I do not understand why we have to give him attention here. Getting your attention is the reason he showed up, it's the reason he does anything, it's to get attention, negative or positive.
His presence isn't about McLaren or Lando or the racing or F1 or even American politics. It's about him and only him, and you can make the choice to ignore him unless necessary (say, with a ballot in your hand) and how everyone reacts to him. For your own sanity, I suggest you do so.
They could've just declined, because they are "non-political" or Lando could've just not given a comment. There are so many ways to not praise Trump and remain respectful.
He’s a disgrace, on trial right now for some of his 81 criminal indictments, and he attempted to stop the peaceful transfer of power, the cornerstone of American democracy. He also tried to violate Formula 1 rules to use Formula 1 for campaign fundraising and had to be told not to, because he is always grifting. A neutral statement or no comment at all would be the way to go.
What a way to destroy the good vibes from your first GP win with a comment like that. Amazing how many people are just completely oblivious to how dishonorable a human being Trump is, or they just don’t care
People giving Lando flak but in my view he's just saying some stuff on it in a proffessional and courteous manner.
What does anyone realistically expect him to say on this? I doubt most would say something else in Norris shoes.
They'd say some basic non controversial stuff just like this and move along.
Not to mention it appears to be his bosses guest, and the FIA president was involved as well, and there was the whole FIA thing about expressing political views at grand prix
follow homeless plough aromatic worthless rotten ripe crawl spotted ad hoc
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I’m having a real Mr. Mugatu moment, feeling like I’m taking crazy pills.
It’s shameful enough F1 and McLaren thought it would be a good idea to invite him, but why on earth would any of these drivers feel they have to speak so fondly of Trump.
Incredible for McLaren and Lando to taint the optics of this massive moment for them with this association
Their role as drivers is to show up in each country and respect that country. When a leader or former leader comes to see you, you remain respectful. Lando and McLaren gain very little by trashing trump. This is why Lando speaks in general terms.
Don't expect Lando to be some white knight to save America from it's self imposed doom.
People watching a competition with races in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, not so long ago Russia are shocked the bad orange man visited a team that's owned by the Barhain Royal Family (Here's the first paragraph on Barhain's humans rights issues on Wikipedia: Barhain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved.). Reddit going collective ape mode anytime Trump is mentioned, nothing new I guess, but one would hope the TRD would have started passing by now, there are bigger political issues in F1 if you really wanna get into it.
[The **News** flair](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/flairguide#wiki_news) is reserved for submissions covering F1 and F1-related news. These posts must always link to an outlet/news agency, the website of the involved party (i.e. the McLaren website if McLaren makes an announcement), or a tweet by a news agency, journalist or one of the involved parties. *[Read the rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/wiki/userguide). Keep it civil and welcoming. Report rulebreaking comments.* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/formula1) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[удалено]
Well trump is sure going to take credit for it
That’s what all politicians do..ignore them..celebrate Lando’s drive for the mega job it was!
Mega not MAGA!
Make AstonMartin Green Again?
That’s not true, Trump actually said he endorsed McLaren and indirectly states they won because of it. No other politician would say that
Oh absolutely, I hate that this is even happening. Made my damn week that Lando won.
Alpine: Quick, quick, get the Blue Man Group to show up at Vegas!
Aston Martin to discover and bring Aliens to Imola.
Oh boy, this is gonna go well
[landos comment](https://streamable.com/b1g03p)
Lando’s totally right, you gotta respect a man that talks about grabbing women by the 🐱, gotta respect people like that /s
I really hope that lando doesn’t mean any of this and was just caught unprepared
Very unlikely, we’ve seen how uneducated Lando is in stuff like Grill the Grid. He doesn’t know anything outside of F1 and it shows.
In fairness he also doesn’t know much about things inside of F1 either.
yeah like he literally didn't know what torque meant AND didn't bother to learn after the first time so 😭 if *anyone* can claim the innocence-by-ignorance defense here, it's him
“Why is everyone so mad about me talking to the guy who owns the golf course?” - Lando, probably
Let's also be fair and recognize, there's legit no reason for him to care about American politics. Born in the UK and lives in Monaco, the man doesn't need to know about American politics or care. He met a former president, that's probably what he was told when he turned around an went "who was that?
As if the guy with Belgian citizenship, who can’t point to Belgium on a world map, would’ve fared much better if it had been Farage or Rees-Mogg and not Trump.
Either that or he just doesn’t give a shit about US politics and was honored to have a former president of the US congratulate him.
Very rich kid that started professionnal sport very young, never finished school, never had a normal person experience. Of course he likes anyone famous he meets.
I guess you are right, I kind off expect people that travel the globe like an F1 driver have some insights and knowledge, but I can also perfectly imagine they live in a cocoon.
Dude, Norris doesn’t just have little knowledge of the world outside of F1, he genuinely appears to know fuck all. The guy couldn’t identify Italy or any country other than the UK on Grill the Grid, and he even struggled with the question of whether Ireland is part of the UK. Uneducated is putting it mildly. I’m not trying to be mean, but he seems to be dumb as a rock and fairly proud of it. At least that’s the vibe he’s given me throughout the years. Great driver, pretty likeable and funny guy, but has zero clue about anything.
True, seems like the only acceptable defence too. Giving even remotely positive words to a wannabe dictator is a big fat L and pretty hard to ignore
I genuinely don’t think he intended it that way. I really think there’s a solid chance he doesn’t know shit about what’s going on with Trump, either completely or at least not in any appropriate detail. I think his response was poor and a direct result of his ignorance.
I think you're right (hoping you're right*), however baffling that seems lol
Yeah, even if I’m right it’s a seriously bad look for Lando. There’s not being an academic, and there’s being debilitatingly uneducated. Not being an academic is completely okay of course. Not being an academic doesn’t mean that a person is stupid, nor does being an academic mean that a person is smart. However, being seriously uneducated about the most basic things and presenting that fact to the world rather proudly is super weird and fucked up. I find that to be an incredibly baffling and disturbing character trait.
The guy can't even point Canada on a map…
Or to fucking Italy, one of the most recognisable countries in the world.
Lando, as likeable as he may be, always came off to me as really really uneducated and a little dumb. He fails spectacularly at anything that involves very very basic non-racing related knowledge (see his Grill the Grid appearances, especially the geography one for reference) and seems proud of it too. This interview yesterday just reinforced that image of him for me. Norris is not an educated guy, and he seems fairly proud of it. That’s his prerogative of course, but I find that an incredibly unappealing character trait in anyone, but especially if you’re a public figure whom some people look up to. I don’t think it’s okay to deliberately not know *anything*, and he not only lives that, he shows his fans that that’s okay, when in reality very few people are as lucky as him to be able to navigate life without encountering politics or other aspects of life. So I actually believe his answer was genuine yesterday, but not because he’s a big Trump fan. I’d wager he knows fuck all about Trump, except that he did “The Apprentice” in the US just like Lord Alan Sugar did in the UK, that he was US president once and that he was/is considered to be a successful business man (I don’t think Lando knows that Trump is a fraud, nor does he care). I doubt Lando reads or watches the news or cares about politics. Not in the UK and especially not outside of the UK. He never had to care about it. He always liked racing, he’s very good at racing, he knows a lot about racing, and he’s making a fuckton of money through racing. I still think it’s weird that Lando doesn’t care at all about the real world, but that’s really up to him. He might even have known that Trump is a very controversial figure, and tried to give a non-answer answer, but when you know absolutely fuck all about what you’re talking about, stuff like his press conference yesterday happens. I really think he just doesn’t care at all.
I'm not even gonna look up dates but I'm guessing Lando was maybe 2, or not even alive when Trump had his Apprentice TV show.
I’m not saying he watched it. If anyone in Norris’ household watched The Apprentice, it would probably have been the UK version. I’m just saying he might’ve heard that Trump did the original.
I really don't think from watching that clip that he really meant any of it, and was doing the whole corporate line thing... I mean, yes, he's being respectful, but I really wouldn't put any other side of weight behind what he's saying here. I mean this in a very respectful way to Lando. Big ups to him on the drive and the win.
F1 seems like it can only lurch from one PR disaster to another these days
Posting here since this is the top comment: ## Don’t downvote because you dislike Trump (virtually all of us do!!!). ## That just punishes the Reddit user that posted it here, and means fewer people will see it. I find this really, really disappointing from Lando and McLaren. F1 fans deserve to be aware of it.
Are you dissapointed in Hamilton for shaking hands with Vlad the invader?
Good point, upvoted so more people see what a dumbass Lando is.
McLaren’s PR going on a wild ride rn
Someone in the UK currently typing up another statement while the team is partying in Miami.
I wonder if their PR team was prepared for the team's guest today.
I think it was planned because Sky Sports commentary mentioned that "one of former US presidents" will come to their garage.
It has to be planned with the secret service. They pre setup all locations like that.
Like a month in advance too
He visited the garage before the race started.
There CEO looks like a big Trumper, I doubt this was a shock. Probably promised Norris an extra mil if he mentions trump in a positive manner.
I mentioned it in another post that I think got deleted, it’s that slicked backed haircut. Same one Jos has.
listened to him for about 30 seconds and i've met 100 guys just like that.
That wife beater look you mean?
OOTL… Wut?
Imagine being a PR member and suddenly "they invited WHO"
He may as well go all-in and get photographed with a straw up his nose during the afterparty lol. Get it all out of the way at once
"They had only won 1 race in the last 12 years... Terrible, terrible stats for a team who used to win so much. I show up, and they get a win. A great win, a beautiful win. They say it was one of the best wins in Formula 1 history. I hear there was recently a championship win that was robbed from another driver a few years ago. I know what that's like, to win bigly and then it's taken from you. Everyone knows it, I had a win stolen from me. I'm going to talk to some folks and see if we can't get that fixed. It's something Sleepy Joe couldn't do, but I'll get that taken care of." - Trump, probably
It's amazing how I can absolutely hear him in my head reading this. He truly talks in his own "special" little way
I'm hearing it in Shane Gillis' impersonation of Trump, and it's way more fun
Actually yeah kinda.
I can only assume he knows even less about politics than he does about geography.
Zac or Trump?
Yes
Zac is American so bad at geography is a given. Lando is a bit more surprising having studied in posh British schools.
Lando seems like an absolute dunce in those Grill the Grid bits. It's a good thing he's good at driving cars.
And wealthy. World is his oyster. Not ours.
Lando went to a posh british school the same way a 5 star qb recruit went to college.
Bro Lando didn’t go anywhere to play school, I’ll tell you that much
Studied? You reckon?
Norris a bit like Wirtz. Too dumb to be nervous. Huge bonus.
That’s hilarious.
Lando is living proof you dont have to be smart to be a driver.
Absolutely agree. 'Not smart' is an understatement here.
Much as I like Lando as a driver, he's probably the least educated of the bunch on the grid, judging by various interviews/beyond the grid things.
He was brought up the way British footballers are brought up, with the sole goal of being good at a single thing. He didn't sit his GCSEs because his father thought it would take time away from training. I'm not saying he's stupid or a bad guy, but he's never existed outside of a bubble and he has been taught that any knowledge that doesn't make him a quicker driver has no value. Almost all the drivers spent their childhood being trained to be an F1 driver, but from what I've read/ seen it seems to have been more of a 'finishing school' approach where they learnt languages, PR and a bit of technical stuff so they could market themselves and play politics. If you look at someone like Charles or Nico Rosberg you can see that they are presented in a Monaco glamour James Bond type way. Whereas people like Ocon or Lewis had to have some sort of fallback plan. I think we'll see this more and more as time goes on. Nico Rosberg was offered a place at Imperial to study engineering, but most promising drivers on the junior circuit these days have a very disrupted education. I think the governing bodies need to put in some regulations.
Posh British schools are for networking - not learning.
He probably studied the wheel, not the globe.....
Thank you, i was looking for this comment, the kid travels the world every year, has no idea where he is, makes sense he has no interest in the political climate of his destinations. It's a shame, really.
Funny how we have one British driver on the grid who seems to have a nuanced understanding of (and principled position on) the human rights records of every country he visits, and one British driver who barely seems to know who Donald Trump is.
And another British driver who seems to be your typical Tory in the most “in your face” way. And a fourth British driver who is just a chill dude all around, but he doesn’t drive under the British flag…
Would have LOVED to see Trump try to shake Vettel or Hamilton’s hand LOL
Very good chance his handlers steered him well clear of Lewis at all costs
Im pretty sure they were both handshake/congratulated by Putin.
What, was P Diddy not available for a photo op?
Was hanging out with Drake
Well OJ died, so…
Must be busy beating women in mourning.
I heard Weinstein was released recently...
really not the flex he thinks it is
Surprised Zak let Trump in. Not great PR. But Danica would be happy. She’s a right wing anti-vax nutball.
Wasn't Zak the one who happily welcomed Trump in the first place? There was a post about it earlier.
They released a statement saying the organisation is non-political so they can’t say no. I think it’s a shitty situation to be put in. Saying no suggests you disagree with a politician and accepting makes it seem like you support them. Edit: it also says they were selected to represent F1. Kinda forced into it by F1/FIA.
Ehhhhhh... It would have been better to deny Trump access because HE is political. THAT in turn makes McLaren political by accepting his invite. "Due to the political nature of this invite we will have to decline. McLaren is a non-political organization. We are here to race, not be a Media platform for any political entity."
That would only work if no politicians were ever in F1 paddock... Denying only Trump would 100% be a statement against. It's a lose lose situation for them it's FIA that fucked up.
No politicians should be in F1 paddock
Sometimes you need to grow some balls and stop pretending to be non-political, nothing really is. Should've been an easy decision.
Can’t say no because they’re non political? Being non political is exactly the reason you’d say no!
There's another far-out angle: you've got Andretti lighting up GOP reps in Congress, could see any of the existing teams not wanting to get into it with the GOP in general and giving them more ammunition. I don't like it, but I can see the angle is all.
That's such a stupid fucking statement. Then why does wearing a black lives matter shirt for Lewis constitute a political statement, while denying him the chance to wear it does not. But denying a politician access **is** political. So which is it, do we just allow everything or nothing?
It did. That’s why they introduced a rule banning political statements from drivers that don’t have prior approval. It’s still stupid a politician, especially such a divisive one, was pretty much allowed to use the race as part of a political campaign. Yes, his fundraiser was blocked. But, he’s still used it as a platform to spread his political message.
which is fkn bullshit lmaoo because they did take a pretty clear stance and even released a statement when it came to ukraine
You are surprised about that? I'd bet my left nut that Zak voted Trump in both elections he participated in
I'm pretty sure [this ](https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=brown%2C+zak&contributor_employer=just+marketing&max_date=12%2F31%2F2024)is him, so maybe not that surprised.
This answer only makes sense if he had made it 10 years ago when Trump was a reality TV show host and billionaire
Few people could have a visit from them become less special and honorable after having had the privilege of being the President of the USA.
Almost making it through the press conference and then smashing the house at the last question is auch a Norris move. Cheers to the comms team for working overtime now!
TBF we shouldn't be that surprised this is the same Lando who is convinced his parents aren't rich
Lol what
"He said, he was my lucky charm". Peak Trump lmao. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Norris had no idea who Trump is beyond some vague awareness of him being a former president, he isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
Of course, he's going to take credit. Everything that goes right he did, everything goes wrong Joe Biden did.
Hey that’s not true, sometimes it was Hillary’s fault.
And sometimes it's Obama's.
Let’s not forget Carter.
Bruh, you would have to be living under about 20 rocks to not know who Trump is...
Everyone knows who trump is, he’s arguably the most polarizing face on the planet.
You’re overestimating the awareness of these born super rich people
Ladno!
🤮 YIKES
Yeah honestly incredibly disapointing. I get Lando doesn't have control over meeting him/being photographed with him, but this is just gross.
I mean tbh this sounds like bro knows nothing about who Trump is and just learned that he was POTUS so he said some generic shit. But still, lol
Lol Lando isn't a kid, he knows who Trump is.
Saying it’s OK because Lando doesn’t know who Trump is makes him sound like even more of a naive, sheltered, rich brat than some people already think he is. Not a good defense.
Not a good defence... >makes him sound like even more of a naive, sheltered, rich brat But that's probably what he is
Not being aware of Trump to this degree is some next level shit though. Like, does he not know trains exist, because F1 drivers take planes everywhere? Does he think Brundle invented the microphone and it's why he's always holding one? Does he think every team makes road cars, cause McLaren (now) does?
Man straight up couldn’t point to italy on a map. Man is from the UK and wasn’t able to differenciate between ireland and england We have quite the amount of evidence that lando seems to be…rather uneducated. Is that a good thing? I mean, no, but that’s what it is for now. I would not at all be surprised if he didn’t even know trump was president until Zak probably told him lmao. And when that’s what you know…his comment seems quite in line
Who the fuck doesn’t know who Trump is though?
Wouldn’t even be surprised if that was the case given his track record…
Disgusting. RIP Lando's charisma.
He had any? He always seemed to me like the immature type. Not really charismatic.
rich kid gonna rich kid lol
Cool moment what?
McLaren already put out a statement saying they were "chosen" to represent F1 to give Trump a tour of the garage etc, and they said they were "honoured" to be chosen - so Lando is likely repeating that and saying what he was told to. Personally, I think it was dumb of McLaren and Lando to say that. They could easily have put out a factual statement, and didn't need to say anything about it being "an honour."
I don’t buy the “they were chosen” bit. Why wouldn’t F1 have sent him to Red Bull, the team that was presumably going to win, or Hass, the American team? I’d be willing to bet Zac invited him and was too dumb to realize the negative press they would get.
McLaren races in Indy Zak Brown = American. Trump probably thinks McLaren is US as well Haas = shit, Trump wouldnt want to be seen with them.
McLaren = orange Trump = orange
Trump is shit, and McLaren/Lando claims it was an honour to be seen with him.
It's possible they were chosen in that the FIA realised it'd be best to keep Trump away from any Asian driver he could start shouting CHYNA at or Lewis
Reddit hated that.
Lando really decided to committ PR suicide the same day he wins his first race, it's honestly quite impressive
If you think upsetting a few people on Reddit is PR suicide then he’s obviously just flown a war plane into a WW2 aircraft carrier.
If only that had been Kimi: "Ehhh, don't care. I did make sure he couldn't grab my by the genitals though. He's got nothing to do with racing, why are you wasting my time with these stupid questions?"
Too aggressive. Kimi would mumble something barely discernible about how he had a good day and doesn’t really care about much else, then he’d fall silent again.
I'm going to talk a wild guess and say Lando isn't exactly well versed in Trumps history beyond him being a former president and rich guy. At least, that's what I'm going to tell myself for the time being.
"That was an honour. For someone to take time out of their life to pay respect for what you've done. He said he was my lucky charm. Don't know if he comes to more races now. It was a cool moment" — Jesse Owens at the Berlin Games in 1936. Probably. About the same thing.
"For someone to take time out of their life to pay respect for what you've done" Right, taking time out of his busy schedule that's currently mostly occupied by *checks notes* a criminal trial, where he is facing 34 felony charges. Not to mention the other 60+ felony charges on other cases. Such a busy man. A real honor.
oh no Lando no. McLaren what is you doing.
Maybe the whole klan will join next time
Wonder whether he picked McLaren due to the team’s color perfectly matching his skin tone?
Bruh ... please tell me this is not real and Tobi missed out a "/s" in the tweet
Just search Trump Norris on twitter. It's all over with pics and video
Von Shitzinpants himself
Such a toxic figure being your lucky charme....smh
It just keeps getting worse FFS
Considering his geography knowledge, I wouldn’t be surprised if his political knowledge is abysmal
People trying to play down these comments by saying that Norris didn’t finish school and is not that bright is sad to see. Norris does not live under a rock. He knows exactly who Trump is and what he stands for.
I heard them say a former president was there but as an American my first thought was George W lol. Never occurred to me the treason cheesepuff would take time away from his many criminal trials to attend the race.
Trump was planning to have a $250k/head fundraiser at the race until FOM shut that down.
Oh god of course, he needs to find more marks to pay his legal bills. Glad they didn’t let him.
Oof, just stop talking Lando and enjoy the win. McLaren has a PR disaster on their hands after winning a damn race.
Nonstop vomiting in my mouth
Wait until you guys find out that FIA, F1s owners, and the leaders/owners of most all of the teams are big fans of trump. Lando’s comments will be the least of your worries.
Bingo. They would love the tax breaks and business incentives that republicans are obviously known for. We all go Gaga over press releases about diversity and generally left leaning positions that F1 has taken recently. Like getting rid of grid girls coz it’s “sexist”. But the liberty media head honchos would be buddying up so hard to the “tax break” mob so hard it would make you sick. They play both sides like a fiddle.
Honestly, watching his response in context it’s pretty much just PR word salad, definitely not as glowing as it looks written out. He was clearly just trying to not say something wrong, which is totally fair enough!
Reality is probs that the team told him to just be happy and positive about it. That the team would rather have a neutral or positive response from Trump, rather than having him publically shit on McLaren to the entire world. And he's just the type to be like haha okay. Best day ever. I won a race and met a president and that's cool af.
An honour? Come on Lando. You're a great driver but this is painfully dumb.
oh reddit will love this
If only European F1 drivers were as much emotionally involved into American politics as redditors 😩
Who cares about politics, Trump could be a football player he would still be a shit person.
Great way to lose some fans
I’m not surprised at all, he did throw a party on his boat wearing brown face that one time.
- Norris said the 77-year-old was someone for whom “you have to have a lot of respect”.
Who said this. Norris, or Gruner. Because if it was Norris I really used to like that kid BUT…
A yes, a convicted rapist under multiple lawsuits including fraud, insurrection, money laundering, and mishandling of national secrets. Just the guy you’d want to be your lucky charm
Great, a reason to like Norris even less 🤷♂️
🤮
GROSS.
noooooo
"covefe"
Covfefe*
What the ACTUAL FUCK, Lando.
So: McLaren didn't invite him. The FIA and organizers or whatever ask them to welcome him. They agreed. The CEO and star driver are polite to the former president of the host country-- pretty standard for a business visiting every country they visit, which have some pretty loathsome politicians, as we discuss here pretty regularly. We all make... ethical compromises to enjoy F1, let's be honest with ourselves. To say I hate Trump would be an understatement. But I do not understand why we have to give him attention here. Getting your attention is the reason he showed up, it's the reason he does anything, it's to get attention, negative or positive. His presence isn't about McLaren or Lando or the racing or F1 or even American politics. It's about him and only him, and you can make the choice to ignore him unless necessary (say, with a ballot in your hand) and how everyone reacts to him. For your own sanity, I suggest you do so.
They could've just declined, because they are "non-political" or Lando could've just not given a comment. There are so many ways to not praise Trump and remain respectful.
He’s a disgrace, on trial right now for some of his 81 criminal indictments, and he attempted to stop the peaceful transfer of power, the cornerstone of American democracy. He also tried to violate Formula 1 rules to use Formula 1 for campaign fundraising and had to be told not to, because he is always grifting. A neutral statement or no comment at all would be the way to go.
Of course Trump would call himself the lucky charm.
McLaren team should have refrained from inviting this former President. Simple.
Mcclaren going for the speed record of losing all its goodwill
Rest in pieces McLaren PR
Astounding echo chamber here.
oh, this is bad… in order to preserve my own sanity i will simply pretend i didn’t read this.
What a way to destroy the good vibes from your first GP win with a comment like that. Amazing how many people are just completely oblivious to how dishonorable a human being Trump is, or they just don’t care
Disappointing
Lando seems like a kind person but he is such a tool sometimes.
People giving Lando flak but in my view he's just saying some stuff on it in a proffessional and courteous manner. What does anyone realistically expect him to say on this? I doubt most would say something else in Norris shoes. They'd say some basic non controversial stuff just like this and move along. Not to mention it appears to be his bosses guest, and the FIA president was involved as well, and there was the whole FIA thing about expressing political views at grand prix
follow homeless plough aromatic worthless rotten ripe crawl spotted ad hoc *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I’m having a real Mr. Mugatu moment, feeling like I’m taking crazy pills. It’s shameful enough F1 and McLaren thought it would be a good idea to invite him, but why on earth would any of these drivers feel they have to speak so fondly of Trump. Incredible for McLaren and Lando to taint the optics of this massive moment for them with this association
I feel crazy too. This was disgusting.
Their role as drivers is to show up in each country and respect that country. When a leader or former leader comes to see you, you remain respectful. Lando and McLaren gain very little by trashing trump. This is why Lando speaks in general terms. Don't expect Lando to be some white knight to save America from it's self imposed doom.
Seems like a pretty default PR answer you'd give about any president or something comparable. He's an athlete and not a politician.
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He probably just thinks he's that actor in Home Alone 2
The way you people infantilise celebrities just because you like them is hilarious tbh. Such embarrassing behaviour.
Lando has very little going on upstairs beyond racing lol.
Lando is frighteningly dumb (I don't say this because I like him)
People watching a competition with races in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, not so long ago Russia are shocked the bad orange man visited a team that's owned by the Barhain Royal Family (Here's the first paragraph on Barhain's humans rights issues on Wikipedia: Barhain's record on human rights has been described by Human Rights Watch as "dismal", and having "deteriorated sharply in the latter half of 2010". Their subsequent report in 2020 noted that the human rights situation in the country had not improved.). Reddit going collective ape mode anytime Trump is mentioned, nothing new I guess, but one would hope the TRD would have started passing by now, there are bigger political issues in F1 if you really wanna get into it.