Your questions: Lewis Hamilton, F1 tickets and races in the snow

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Does Lewis Hamilton have a Twitter account? Your questions answered below

I’ve had a lot of questions sent in over the couple of weeks. I’ve finally got round to answering some of them covering topics as diverse as F1 tickets, avatars and getting a job in F1:

Lewis Hamilton

First up we have a pair of questions on Lewis Hamilton:

I am doing a project at Oakmead College of Technology and I need some background information on because I am trying to find out what it takes to be a Formula One driver. By background information I mean: Where did it all start? How does a driver prepare himself for all of it? What does it require to drive a racing car with such speed, adrenaline and power?
Sean Warnock

You can find a biography of Hamilton on the site here: Lewis Hamilton biography

For more information there are several books out there on Hamilton but be warned – some of them are real stinkers. I recommend Mark Hughes’ “Lewis Hamilton: The Full Story” or for a lighter read try Andrew van der Burgt’s “Lewis Hamilton: A Portrait of Britain’s New F1 Star”.

Meanwhile Sean wants to hear direct from the man himself:

I’ve just been doing a search on Twitter and I’ve found an account which seems possible that it could be the real Lewis Hamilton. I know there are many fake ones, so I thought I’d let you have a look: http://twitter.com/LewisHamiltonF1
Nathan Bradley

Twitter’s great but unfortunately some people choose to use it to set up fake accounts and post false news on it to mislead people. Figuring out which are the real ones and which are the fakers can be tricky.

I’ve set up the F1 Twitter Directory on this site to keep track of genuine Twitter accounts. I’ve had a look at the LewisHamiltonF1 account and as far as I’m concerned nothing’s been posted that suggests it’s real, and it isn’t linked to from any official Hamilton or McLaren sites.

But Rubens Barrichello got Jenson Button into Twitter while the pair were team mates last year, so maybe Button will do the same with Hamilton.

F1 testing

Action-starved ahmej is looking forward to seeing F1 cars on track again and asks:

Will BBC show pre-season testing 2010 on Red Button (live coverage)?
ahmej010?

Jake Humphrey was asked this question recently via his (non-fake) Twitter account. Afraid you’re in for a disappointment with the reply:

I don’t think we’ll have live footage.
Jake Humphrey

F1 car parts

An unusual question, this one:

Do you have any Benetton f1 car parts for sale?
Kash

Afraid not Kash but you might be interested in our next question:

I have an original side pod which I believe was used by Jean Alesi. I am considering selling it. It has seen action and it looks like he must of come off as it has some marks and chips on it. It has a build number on it too (not to hand at the moment, so interested in what it is worth or how I would sell it through your site?
Steve

There isn’t a ‘buy/sell’ section on F1 Fanatic at the moment, but if this is something a lot of people are interested in I could always look into it. If Kash is interested in buying your sidepod I can put you in touch with each other!

Emails

Your emails from which I register for updates come through as a phishing emails. Therefore my computer deletes them. Why is this?
Dave

I subscribe to the F1 Fanatic Updates by Email feature myself to make sure they are being sent out correctly. I have no problem receiving them and I haven’t had any similar queries about that so I think the problem might be with your email software.

Some emails clients give you the option to add email addresses to ‘whitelist’ so that emails from them are never treated as spam or phishing, perhaps try that.

Getting a job in F1

I get a lot of enquiries about this:

I would like to enquire about any entry-level job opportunities that F1 Fanatic may offer or if you perhaps know of any other possible opportunities (or people I could contact) within motorsport that I may pursue, I would appreciate your help in this regard. I am basically looking to get my foot in the door (even if this means that I start out as a PA or even sitting filing documents in a dark room – I am willing to do what is takes) and find a job in motorsport and in particular, in the marketing/PR side.

I know that you are very experienced and wise in the ways of motorsport and as such I would really appreciate any advice or help that you could possible give me.
Charlene Sampson

The first thing to say is that F1 Fanatic is not hiring staff at the moment but if we do it will be announced clearly on the site.

As for getting a job in F1, if you’re looking for a basic administrative role it’s best to start by sending your CVs to the teams (find their addresses on their websites) but you may find some of them warn that such roles do not lead to opportunities on the racing side of the business. Good luck!

Avatars (not the film)

Another frequently-asked question:

I have tried every way to add an avatar to my profile without success! Grateful for advice?
Peter Rippon

Here’s how: Get a picture next to your name

At the moment avatars only appear in the forum, though they will be returned to the site at a later date.

Sepang and Montreal tickets

Here are questions from a couple of fans making their Grand Prix trip plans:

I am lucky enough to be on holiday in the far east over the Sepang f1 weekend. Could you advise on what you think would be the best seating location? Could you comment between Emerald and Sapphire seats in the mall area?
Scott

I can’t but I know a few fans who can. Check out these pages:

I am Canadian and have recently become a huge F1 fan.

I am super eager to buy tickets for the Montreal GP, but I am unsure the best way to go about it. There are many 3rd party websites that are advertising tickets for sale, but according to the official F1 site, they are not on sale yet.

Do you have any advice on where the best place to buy tickets would be? Should I wait for the official site?
Andrew Brown

There’s already a lot of discussion going on between fans heading to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve now they’ve got their race back. You can find out more here:

F1 in the snow

I always like a quirky historical question to end with. Over to Andy:

Has their ever been a F1 race run in the snow, I don’t think there has, has there?
Andy

You’re right, there has never been an F1 race run in the snow. The closest thing I could come up with was the fourth round of the inaugural F3000 season in 1985. The race, due to be run at the Nurburgring on April 27th, was cancelled due to snowfall. I managed to find a short video:

Thanks for all your questions – if you’ve got one you’d like to send in please get in touch by emailling me, using Twitter or leave a comment below.

Image (C) www.mclaren.com

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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24 comments on “Your questions: Lewis Hamilton, F1 tickets and races in the snow”

  1. I am trying to find out what it takes to be a Formula One driver.

    Typically loads of money.

    Commonly an obsessive father (helps if he’s a former F1 world champion).

    Small in stature big in ego.

    Last of all a pair of testicles and a penis preferably your own.

    If you have all of those things there’s only a slim chance you won’t be an F1 driver.

    I would have said Flavio Briatore as your manager but I don’t think that would help any more.

    1. Don’t forget countless hours of practice.

  2. Prisoner Monkeys
    24th January 2010, 22:47

    Jake Humphrey was asked this question recently via his (non-fake) Twitter account. Afraid you’re in for a disappointment with the reply

    Although the BBC broadcast the races, their footage is supplied by FOM. If FOM do not have cameras set up at a circuit, there is no coverage.

    Even if they did broadcast testing, you’d be sorely disappointed. The first sessions of the day would play out much like early practice sessions at a race: an installation lap followed by hours in the pits to refine setup. The testing itself is largely a case of drivers doing lap after lap, trying to get as close as possible to a pre-determined lap time as often as possible. If there are multiple cars on the circuit, their release is usually staggered to prevent the cars from encountering one another on the circuit and if they do encounter one another, don’t expect passing moves – the drivers are more concrned with getting useable data than they are about position. If ever someone does pass another driver, it’s because they’ve been let through.

    Trust me, you’re not missing much. You’re not missing anything.

    1. ‘The first sessions of the day would play out much like early practice sessions at a race’
      alright for me!

      1. Prisoner Monkeys
        25th January 2010, 4:25

        What, you mean you actually like watching everyone sit around in their garages doing nothing?

        1. Not so much, but I still enjoy listening to the comentators talk about F1 issues and stories.

        2. i think macca answered it for me.

    2. PM we have had nothing for months. There will be cars there that is enough for me. I don’t care if Eddie Jordan has got to push them round the track.
      I’m sick of going through the same f1 magazines, checking news constantly for nothing to be happening and watching clips on youtube (which is annoyning as fans always put music over the top when I miss the engines). Just seeing an F1 car live will suit me.
      And I actually do like the early stages of practice anyway :P

  3. PM it’s an F1 car and it will be moving. We’ve had nothing for months. I would take any bit of coverage I could get. I don’t care if Eddie Jordan pushes them round, I just want to see the cars live again. Trust me I would not find testing a disappointment.

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      25th January 2010, 0:21

      There’s no market for broadcasting testing. Sure, you might get die-hards like yourselves who would enjoy it, but the casual fan would be lost when it came to following what was going on since the teams don’t rightly tell all.

      1. Sorry my comment posted twice only slightly different-it’s my blooming mobile :/
        Yeah obviously there would be no point for it to be broadcast but you said “Even if they did broadcast testing, you’d be sorely disappointed” (it won’t let me do quotes :S) and I’;m just saying I will most definately not be disappointed :P
        I know it would never be broadcast there would be absolutely no benefit to boradcasting testing

  4. Benetton F1 car parts?
    There’s lots of them here: http://pistonheads.com/sales/1388360.htm … all attached to each other :D

    1. And the best looking Benetton to boot. If anyone wants to buy it for me for my 21st, I would be grateful.

  5. ‘F1 Fanatic is not hiring staff at the moment’
    does this mean you have staff at present?!

    1. Prisoner Monkeys
      25th January 2010, 1:36

      Yeah, some guy named Keith works for them. Or is it Kenneth? Kevin? I can’t remember …

      1. funny… i was wondering whether keith had anyone helping him out at all.

        1. I am employable.

        2. Well, he has some people giving him a hand (Ie: Journeyer, and some others) but they do it for free, thanks a lot to all them!

          1. Yeah thanks everyone for such hard work :)

  6. [quote]I am Canadian and have recently become a huge F1 fan.

    I am super eager to buy tickets for the Montreal GP, but I am unsure the best way to go about it. There are many 3rd party websites that are advertising tickets for sale, but according to the official F1 site, they are not on sale yet.

    Do you have any advice on where the best place to buy tickets would be? Should I wait for the official site?
    Andrew Brown[/quote]

    The tickets went on sale just before the New Year, but seats were being held for those who purchased tickets for 2008 until Jan. 15/10.

    If you want to purchase tickets from the Official site, here it is: https://www.circuitgillesvilleneuve.ca/grandprix-en/

    I hope you get tickets, I know there is a lot of demand this season. (Return of the Grand Prix AND Schumacher!!!!!)

  7. To the person asking about buying tickets off non-offical websites, I have used EasyGPT in the past & found them to be very helpful. The ticket prices were also only slightly over the ‘official’ rate, and they delivered to my hotel with no trouble at all.

  8. I hope all those attending the Canadian GP get a good show, as those tickets cost a FORTUNE from what I can see!

    Regarding the race in the snow, I believe when A1GP paid a visit to Laguna Seca in the first year for the series there was some snowfall.

  9. Regarding the F1-in-the-snow question: I remember a couple of pictures of Alonso and the Renault team testing at Silverstone in the snow.

    1. great find! oh and thanks Keith fort he F3000 video!

      Andy

Comments are closed.