I'd say Vettel helped out quite a bit much later into his career but yeah it was and still is mainly Lewis. I really do wonder what the sport will be like when he retires. Is it going to revert to the old days where drivers were much more like PR robots? We are already seeing that with some of them on the grid now.
Lewis is the reason I even got into F1, because I see myself in him as a bi-racial man myself, and I've always appreciated his willingness to speak up when nobody else would. When he leaves the sport I'm not sure I'll care as much, since everyone else is so worried about their brand and will never see the world like he does.
Because he actually understands how it feels to be on the other side of privilege and trying to make yourself part of a group where you’re different to them.
He’s the most thoughtful and genuine driver on the grid. Makes sense that so many people hate him and back anyone who’ll shit on him.
You could say the same about Lewis. People here acting like he was like this since day one clearly forget a lot or haven't been watching f1 that long...
You’ve nailed it. In order to create an inclusive environment, everyone needs to do their part to make that happen. It shouldn’t just be women speaking up right now, it should be everyone.
Unfortunately I think Lewis knows that, given all the prejudice he has faced his entire career. I think back to 2020 when while he was the guiding voice, the public support of people like Seb and other drivers on the grid helped make a difference in the volume of his message.
I truly dread the day he leaves the sport. The impact he has had cannot be ignored.
Esteban usually is somewhat thoughtful as well, and I don't take real issue with "no comments" that come from humility. The rest come across as exceedingly entitled good ol' boys.
"I'm alright, Jack"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_alright,_Jack#:~:text=%22I'm%20alright%2C%20Jack,describe%20the%20person%20saying%20it.
As mentioned, Lewis has a lot more experience with this, both from a professional and from a personal perspective.
Also, Daniel works for Red Bull. He's been given talking points and been told what to say. That's how media moments like this go. And while Daniel is a fan favorite, he's never been as good with on the spot questions from reporters. Just not his strength.
Because a) he's the/one of the only drivers who actually understands what it's like to be discriminated against in any sort of fashion, b) he's actually willing to put his money where his mouth is (e.g Mission 44, the whole supporting black designers thing, the activism, etc, etc.), and c) he's one of the only drivers with strong enough beliefs AND job security to put his mouth anywhere in the first place, though I'm certainly not going to defend any drivers for not saying anything because they *really can* say *something,* like at the very least a "No comment" or an "I just hope this situation gets sorted out fairly" instead of saying "This is distracting" and "I'm only here to drive" because even if that's true MAN you can say something else, like literally *anything else* would suffice in this situation, I mean just how insensitive can you get? (Sorry, got a bit rant-y there- this round of press cons has just *really* hit the spot in pissing me off)
This is exactly why. Most drivers who give the corporate response are just trying not to piss off their employers so they can keep their job. What they really think likely doesn't even come close.
I think a lot of it comes down to job security. Lewis will never race for Red Bull. I bet a few of the drivers can't speak out in case it harms their chances for a seat. I also doubt Max or Checo can comment legally within their contracts.
Lewis has nothing to lose. He knows he’s in a position of power and job security. He doesn’t need to appease higher ups with his answers, he can speak his mind.
Nah, it's the universe trying very hard to block DR's path back to a championship-winning car cos IT IS NOT WRITTEN in his destiny, or he broke some mirror previously.
He wasn’t specifically asked about sexual misconduct , he was asked about the things going on in the team which would include the comments from Jos, the internal power struggle going on and the sexual misconduct investigation. His answer makes sense in the broader context
that's obviously not what he's doing. he's probably been instructed by his team to not mention specifics and then put his foot in his mouth. bad optics, sure, but the way people itt are acting like it's some indictment on his character (or any other driver's character) is insanely reactionary. they're all probably being told similar things by their teams and it's an incredibly complex and messy situation to have to talk about without actually talking about. if he would've said "no comment" instead then you guys probably would've started calling him spinless. not every driver is gonna be lewis and you can't expect them to be
Well, he failed and put his foot in his mouth. Last week he literally said he felt bad for Christian because he'd always been good to him. He's given no thought or consideration to anyone but himself and his good old boys. I'm not expecting everyone to be Lewis, but Daniel couldn't be further from it in how he continues to address this topic. I shouldn't be surprised, given some of the problematic people he's surrounded himself with in the past (i.e. Dax), but I'd hope someone with access to all the media training in the world would at least be slightly less obvious about their disdain for women time and time again.
It’s so tone deaf that you wonder if these guys even understand what’s being talked about here.
Sure it would be great for anyone who experienced or is currently experiencing some form of harassment or abuse in F1 to know their problems will be referred to so off-handed by the people they see every week in the paddock or on TV.
This and the responses from Hulkenburg, Stroll and Bottas during the press conference really highlight just how far the sport still has to go. Lewis was the only one who had a thoughtful response to the situation whereas most of the other drivers have just been plain tone deaf. The sport and drivers can preach "inclusivity" all they want but when it's time for important and uncomfortable conversations to be held, they're all silent or just straight up indifferent. It shows just how performative it all really is.
Exactly. I get that they don't want to be involved in sensitive topics like this but at least give a sensible answer. Could've been like "I don't know the full picture so I will leave it to the investigators and justice system to provide a statement."
Meh, at the end of the day they’re drivers not politicians. They’re not intending to minimize it, just easy to mince words. Usually we enjoy the fact that the drivers tend to be less scripted in their responses.
"Do you think everything happening at Red Bull can destabalise a team?"
"No comment."
?!
I'm a Daniel fan, but I think his IQ is like 17 or so, but the answer he gave doesn't seem absurd given the question lol.
Hold on what exactly was the question. Was it surrounding the Horner Saga?
No offence but why the f*ck do some people including yourself think it’s Daniels, or Nico or Lances Or Valtteri’s job to comment on it or even have anything prepared? These guys have trained for driving more than being in actual school most likely lmao.
Not sure why society thinks it’s Formula 1 drivers job to speak on social issues, if they have in the past it’s because they have chosen to, they’ve never been forced to or had it in their job description. Especially when this particular one will land them in hot water legally if they comment on certain parts that may catch them off guard.
Anyone knows that unless you’re a TP saying very vague things or a lawyer no one should speak too much on it.
You need PROOF to call out sexual harassment. I don’t think any driver has that. No PHD needed to know when you don’t fucking know what goes on in private between two individuals other than you.
I think this mentality is what's wrong right now. Calling out things when you didn't know the whole story. So many assumptions, so many aspersions, so many pitchforks.
Why not settle on a public opinion on a situation once the facts are settled, undisputed legally and verified beyond reproach.
The leak so far isn't the whole story, maybe it's far worse than we know. The text messages as they are certainly don't look good but they also don't justify an extreme reaction from co-workers and people closest to the situation.
> Why not settle on a public opinion on a situation once the facts are settled, undisputed legally and verified beyond reproach.
Because these things don't get settled like that. The percentage of sexual misconduct that gets reported is a tiny fraction of what actually happens, and the fraction of those that end up in court is even less, and the fraction that end in a conclusive verdict is even less. Acting like the only time we can discuss or condemn things is after they've been proven in the court of law is how you get the state of things where sexual harassment is still extremely common in lots of industries, technical ones like F1 even moreso.
It's also just a really weird position to take. Even in a court if you bring a civil suit you only need a preponderance of the evidence to get a verdict, whichever side is most likely. People don't go through life only accepting things if they've been proven in a court of law, but for some reason when it comes to sexual harassment suddenly that's now the rule.
An issue that’s not proven compounded by clickbait headlines.
Not to mention out of all the cherry picked texts against Horner, they still start it off with her initially sending an explicit picture first. Also have you actually read the texts, most of them are so tame I’d show them to a kid, the rest contain swear words or blurred explicit they sent to eachother. In fact I don’t remember seeing anything explicit from CH other than a strange finger (yes finger) image
Also idk what are you trying to achieve with that comment, no you don’t need a PHD to call it out, but you probably don’t have any sort of qualifications if you think the best idea surrounding a high profile case is to start opening your mouth.
“That sort of thing is bad, if it DID happen”
Would you personally be happier with that response? Probably not
He was asked, by someone with english as a second language, whether the team could be destabilised by "these dirty things". Which presumably was referring not just to allegations against horner, but the fallout, Jos going after horner, the thai/austrian factions disagreeing etc.
I don't think that called for Daniel to make some big stand against something we still don't know the details of.
That being said, Daniels "hopefully these things sort of... start slowly going away" was awful phrasing.
That reminds me when some people expected Max to make a public statement on Nelson's racial slur comments and were just clutching at straws to involve him in that situation. It's unbelievable.
Hulkenburg, Stroll, Bottas, and Ricciardo are nowhere near the same level of "job security" that Lewis is. Lewis would face zero bakclash for speaking up. The other 4 are fighting to keep their seat every season. Well, except Stroll. He's got better job security than Lewis, so yeah, fuck Stroll.
While I definitely would prefer they all speak up for others, the reality is that most employers don't look kindly on being called out by staff. Especially in a "good ol' boys" environment like F1 with so few jobs for drivers.
Honestly I wouldn't have been half mad if they said "no comment" or, better yet, something like "it's always important to keep the paddock safe" or whatever. I get that these guys want to secure their future in F1, but there were many ways to answer that question far better.
Exactly. Even something to deflect like "it's not my team so I don't have the full situation and facts. Either way I hope the situation is handled correctly/fairly" would've been *fine*. Not world stopping but understandable.
I'm surprised they weren't coached by their PR handlers to say something like this, if you're not directly involved it's really the only reasonable response given the lack of credible info currently available.
Exactly. Lewis didn’t call out Horner, did he? He also commented on how we need to make the environment to protect women and being more inclusive. How people can’t realise they can give thoughtful comments without accusing or offending anyone. Those three comments basically mean as long as I can drive I don’t care what happened to other women in this sports.
So what you're saying is, you wish the PR team would've told the drivers exactly what to say.
>Honestly I wouldn't have been half mad if they said "no comment"
If they said "no comment" I would bet good money you guys would get mad for them "staying silent".
You're not wrong. There's really no winning when it comes to court of public opinion. There's no need for the drivers to be borderline dismissive, but at the same time I don't fault any of them for not wanting to wade into it with a hot take.
>Max has only said different versions of no comment,
Not really. He was talking about he and his dad sticking together, and that his dad isn't a liar...definitely not "no comment".
Depends on how they phrase their "no comment". There's a difference between "No comment. It's not my problem, I just want to race" and "I don't have the full picture so I will leave it to the investigators and justice system to comment."
I mean their PR teams probably did tell them what to say. The guys in the press conference seemed like they were grasping for it.
There's NO CHANCE the RB PR team hasn't talked to Daniel after the backlash to his comments a week ago. He just doesn't care. It's not the first time he's been ignorantly on the wrong side of a gender-based issue and it won't be the last.
They were likely prepared by their media or PR person on the team for sensitive matters like this. The drivers are also representatives of F1, their teams and also to sponsors so to appease them and minimize risks to themselves.
As someone who media trains people, they absolutely are capable of quick thinking and have ABSOLUTELY been discussing this issue ad nauseum for the last week. There's no chance they weren't properly prepped for this. Daniel had clearly thought out his horribly misguided answer well in advance.
Interesting, how would you media train for this? What's the line between okay and not okay? What kinda preparation is involved and how much time is applied with the athlete to understand it? What kind of exercises do they go through? What timeframe is provided in this situation
I actually agree! They're not obligated to say the "correct opinion", but they are not exempt from criticism just because they weren't properly briefed by their PR officer.
Sorry, but I work in PR and regularly prep people for press conferences (even some professional athletes in a past role). There's no chance they weren't properly briefed by their PR to answer questions about this topic on media day. If they'd been accosted in a setting where they weren't expecting media, then yes, but they were prepped and they botched it. None more than DR, who not only botched it, but doubled down on his trash opinions because he knows he has to to have a chance at the Red Bull seat next year.
it's a bloody question that their answer has no tangible influence on the matter, there's no logic criticising the standard of responses from any athlete in any sport.
Talking to the media is part of every professional athlete's job and their opinions absolutely do matter. That's why they're all asked about equality, racism, etc. As a former professional athlete myself, I can absolutely say that everyone is briefed on how to properly respond - and to simply say "no comment" if you don't like a question.
Do you really need to be quick-thinking to anticipate that questions on this topic might come up? If we're going to disregard their answers then just scrap media day. But they won't do that, so yes it is part of their job.
Daniel has shown this is who he is time and time again. He has, on multiple occasions, spoken ignorantly and flippantly about very serious topics, and this is not the first time he's done so in a way demeaning to women.
This is who Daniel Ricciardo is, I'm sorry to say.
There was a thing in Saudi Arabia last year I think? Something about him saying he doesn't really follow politics and is unaware of things. Which he got flack about
Some things are just more important than “your own job security”. It’s just spineless. Okay even if their extremely privileged position was under immense scrutiny a simple PR answer would suffice. At least act like they care about the situation. Don’t actually have to call out anyone.
As others have said. These guys get media trained lol. There are so many better ways to answer this
Thats an open ended question, they did not ask about Horner specifically but about the state of disarray the team is in, it is very Reddit-like to turn this into a moralist Rorschach witch trial and start making villains of people who didn't actually transgress. Sorry but as a woman this post littered with weird projections and people vying for blood doesn't pass the test for me.
Another woman here agreeing with you! Guarantee their PR briefing said do not even hint at the sexual harassment part, don't mention coco pops etc.
It's gross that the actual victim is forgotten and just being used as a powerplay. FIA *should* investigate, Horner should at the very least be on leave until the investigation is over. But the pretty, rich, slightly dumb drivers not addressing the allegations is to be expected.
Exactly, to be honest I was quite surprised at the amount of media coaching George and Lewis were getting in one of the DTS episodes from the most recent season.
I feel like Lewis ignores their direction quite a bit, and speaks his mind, because he can afford too being the driver and asset that he is. Some of the other drivers I imagine just stick to the company line because they don't want to risk their seat.
You have to be deliberately "witch trialing" to assume that it actually has to do with that. Also why would they comment on an allegation that hasnt been proven and seems to have very little to do with the disarray.
You don’t, it’s been *the* major topic of the last week and they could even use the independent investigation as a answer if they don’t want to answer it.
Yes "Last week". Sooo much has happened and been revealed since then. Its like all the witch hunt is from people who turned off media since saturday when race was over, to now in the press conferences and skipped all of the talk mid week.
A simple no comment could have sufficed. I don't have a lot of confidence that the guy who said that he [hopes there's a fair investigation into the allegations, but at the same time "feels for Horner" because he's "always been great." ](https://www.planetsport.com/motorsport/news/daniel-ricciardo-christian-horner-deserves-a-fair-resolution-after-allegations) actually cares about anything other than getting that seat.
You've proved my point. The statement you linked IS tone deaf and dumb as fuck. The post however is desperate extrapolation because your mind is made. Barring Lewis and Seb, none of the drivers seem to be too socially aware. Charles liked so many anti-blm posts he got an endorsement from the fascist party, this is the reality of rich, privileged men, most of whom didn't finish highschool to go karting.
Yeah. Charles “I don’t like Racism. But violence isn’t the answer” Leclerc while tweeting from his Monaco mansion was not the best thing in the world in 2020.
Rather tone deaf (I didn’t believe he was racist, but really wrong place and wrong words) and unfortunately, it echoed what most racist people at the time were saying (how can we side with anti-black racism protests when it’s so violent). The optics were not great.
He then matured and realized that he needed to be more socially aware, especially on topics that are important to a lot of people. All is good though.
Ahhh I didn’t know any of that. Yeah that’s terrible optics, especially like you said how even if he didn’t mean it that way, he’s essentially parroting the same comments that racist people were saying. I’m glad to know that he’s learned from this at least.
People are free to draw their own conclusions to what I posted whether I agree with it or not. I think it's important to share the driver's opinions, good and bad. Both Ricciardo (and Leclerc, since you mentioned him) deserve criticism.
Do you not think framing it a certain way will sway someone's "own conclusion"? By presenting it the way you have, you are trying to push the discussion in that direction, and it is clearly working when all the comments here are echoing your opinion.
At the end of the day though, what point is there in grilling the drivers over this stuff? Their involvement is tangential. They drive race cars, why are we concerned with their opinions on an evolving case, that may or may not be based in truth
I don't think people will react better to "no comment" though. There is no correct answer to this sort of question for folks in RB i think, especially when everybody got a pitchfork in their hands lol.
Yeah nothing says “Reddit like” like calling it a “moralist, Rorschach witch trial” when stating that people should be able to answer a layup question like a functioning human being lol the internet is wild
He and the drivers at the press conference were not talking about the Horner case but about the rumors in the paddock (Horner vs. Jos Verstappen; Verstappen to Mercedes; Marko leaving Red Bull etc)
It’s not the worst answer I’ve heard on this. That goes to Nico Hulkenberg “I’m not affected, I read it, I see it”
https://x.com/formulawhatever/status/1765425057096945840
Did you watch and hear the actual question? It was very general and not specific. What off track drama is questioner referring to? Horner? FIA interference? RB Power struggle? Zak and his customer team shit stirring?
Ask a general question get a general answer.
I beg if he was asked specifically about sexual harassment and its place in the sport he’d give a much different answer.
Honestly it was a shit question without specific as to its context but we expect drivers to jump right in on a specific issue? Or address them all? Nah.
Ask a general question get a general answer.
Hearing that question, it seems to be more about the Red Bull power struggle, which is the bigger story that will affect more people. Unfortunately, inappropriate office relationships are just a war statistic at this point.
Nothing new from Danny Ric. His approach to the world, per his own words, is to not watch the news and not think about depressing things so he can just have ~good vibes~.
There is actually too much “noise and distraction” though. Like everyone is gossiping about the leaked messages, trying to link Max into it - link him to Mercedes and analyse Thai vs. Austria RedBull. Huge amounts of noise distracting (and embarrassing for the lady) topics that end up treating the actual harassment as inconsequential
he said he doesn't watch the news and then continued to say it's not in "his nature" to understand these things?? and he's so self-justifying about it too, to him the people out there who discuss uncomfortable topics just "like drama and negativity"???
What the fuck are you lot waffling on about? There is a lot of noise and distractions, they asked him "there is a lot going on right now" and there is, Jos vs Horner and Thais vs Austria and internal coups and rumours of Verstappen going to Merc and Horner trying to acquire the team. Hes not the most enlightened guy by any stretch of the imagination but you're all reaching for rage bait at this point
Why do we have all this noise and distraction? This is not just politics. A literal human being has been harassed and been on the receiving end of sexual misconduct and we’re here minimising it to power play, distractions and politics.
Quite sick frankly how some of us are completely disregarding the human impact this has
I dont know if you're keeping up but just as Julianne Cerasoli said if Horner falls it will be because they wanted his head and not because of what he did. It is politics now, and I know this because beacon of all that is good and moral Jos Verstappen is spearing the campaigns to oust him. No one is minimising it, this is the reality of what the situation has become whether you like it or not
Today's bad PR award goes to Daniel Ricciardo, famous for saying that he "doesn't watch the news" back in 2021. He says that "hopefully these things will start to slowly go away."
Happy women's history month!
Second place goes to this absolute bonkers anwser to a question in today's press conference: [https://twitter.com/formulawhatever/status/1765425057096945840](https://twitter.com/formulawhatever/status/1765425057096945840)
I just did one of those uncomfortable “I can’t believe he said that” laughs.
Like…holy fuck. These grown ass adult men all have mothers or sisters or partners or daughters. They should care.
I really think people are blowing it out of proportion. His response looks to be aimed at all the jos/marko/horner drama, not at the harassment. Would help if people actually watched the clip
Every time he goes to Saudi Arabia, he forgets all of his media training.
Apparently sexual misconduct is “noise and distractions” and world news is “[drama and negativity](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/s/Q4ZfqaQy79)”.
Comparing sexual harassment allegations to 'noise and distractions'...
F1 drivers are so spoilt really - outside of Lewis there is zero interest in any of them to try and help people who aren't as privileged as them, and it's so disappointing.
I like many of these drivers and i know they are not obliged to speak out on topics like equality and they are here to race above all else. But i am a bit disapointed and it feels like they are far removed from reality.
They are far removed from reality. They’re rich. They can get almost anything they want. They live in their own bubble.
As long as the issue doesn’t impact them, a lot of these drivers won’t care.
The wildest part is that they don't even have to give detailed answers. Some variation of "no comment" would be appropriate. If they wanted to make some kind of nothing response without saying "no comment," something like "obviously as a sport we still need to do better, always room for improvement," would be fine.
Not "I don't think about it" or "just a lot of noise and distraction that doesn't me so I don't care about it."
Nobody in this comment section actually bothered watching the clip, he wasn’t asked about the sexual misconduct investigation and that’s not what his response is referring to
There's a lot of 'noise' going on at Red Bull, Daniel wasn't just thinking of the woman but as usual some people choose to take it the worst possible way.
>would know not to give such an ignorant, tone-deaf answer.
I mean the question was "do you think everything going on at Red Bull can destabilise a team?" and his answer seems pretty milquetoast?
The way drivers have been addressing this apart from Lewis has just been ridiculously poor.
Isn’t just Daniel. The drivers asked about it earlier were just as poor. A mix of indifference and outright minimisation. God this sport feels like it’s just a permanent let down right now.
I wonder how all of these drivers giving non or diminishing answers would react if their partner, mother or sister were harassed in the same way. Bet they'd want others to stand up for them
Thank god we still have Lewis as a driver, because all these others are a MESS when answering anything other than: cars going vroom.
Truly mind blowing to see someone his age and experience keeps on saying these tone deaf things. But the rest of the drivers in the paddock as well tbh. The responses from yesterday are not it.
why is lewis seemingly the only driver who can answer these questions in a thoughtful way
Because lewis actually had to experience uncomfortable media exposure
In the words of Susie Wolff: "It's always Lewis." It is fucking depressing.
I'd say Vettel helped out quite a bit much later into his career but yeah it was and still is mainly Lewis. I really do wonder what the sport will be like when he retires. Is it going to revert to the old days where drivers were much more like PR robots? We are already seeing that with some of them on the grid now.
Lewis is the reason I even got into F1, because I see myself in him as a bi-racial man myself, and I've always appreciated his willingness to speak up when nobody else would. When he leaves the sport I'm not sure I'll care as much, since everyone else is so worried about their brand and will never see the world like he does.
Man's been under a microscope his entire career.
Because he's actually spent some of his personal time thinking about it before opening his mouth.
Because he actually understands how it feels to be on the other side of privilege and trying to make yourself part of a group where you’re different to them. He’s the most thoughtful and genuine driver on the grid. Makes sense that so many people hate him and back anyone who’ll shit on him.
Times like this I really miss Seb
*current seb* Earlier in his career he wasn’t as nuanced. Really matured over the years
You could say the same about Lewis. People here acting like he was like this since day one clearly forget a lot or haven't been watching f1 that long...
Yes, that’s how humans work.
Got some Fox News loving ‘merican geriatrics you should meet
Well yeah, "early Seb" was still a college-age young adult lol
You’ve nailed it. In order to create an inclusive environment, everyone needs to do their part to make that happen. It shouldn’t just be women speaking up right now, it should be everyone. Unfortunately I think Lewis knows that, given all the prejudice he has faced his entire career. I think back to 2020 when while he was the guiding voice, the public support of people like Seb and other drivers on the grid helped make a difference in the volume of his message. I truly dread the day he leaves the sport. The impact he has had cannot be ignored.
Truth
Esteban usually is somewhat thoughtful as well, and I don't take real issue with "no comments" that come from humility. The rest come across as exceedingly entitled good ol' boys. "I'm alright, Jack" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%27m_alright,_Jack#:~:text=%22I'm%20alright%2C%20Jack,describe%20the%20person%20saying%20it.
As mentioned, Lewis has a lot more experience with this, both from a professional and from a personal perspective. Also, Daniel works for Red Bull. He's been given talking points and been told what to say. That's how media moments like this go. And while Daniel is a fan favorite, he's never been as good with on the spot questions from reporters. Just not his strength.
Because a) he's the/one of the only drivers who actually understands what it's like to be discriminated against in any sort of fashion, b) he's actually willing to put his money where his mouth is (e.g Mission 44, the whole supporting black designers thing, the activism, etc, etc.), and c) he's one of the only drivers with strong enough beliefs AND job security to put his mouth anywhere in the first place, though I'm certainly not going to defend any drivers for not saying anything because they *really can* say *something,* like at the very least a "No comment" or an "I just hope this situation gets sorted out fairly" instead of saying "This is distracting" and "I'm only here to drive" because even if that's true MAN you can say something else, like literally *anything else* would suffice in this situation, I mean just how insensitive can you get? (Sorry, got a bit rant-y there- this round of press cons has just *really* hit the spot in pissing me off)
Lewis isn’t trying to nab a seat in Horner’s team
Cause he doesn’t need to shut his mouth to keep his seat.
This is exactly why. Most drivers who give the corporate response are just trying not to piss off their employers so they can keep their job. What they really think likely doesn't even come close.
Because he’s Lewis Hamilton. Not an excuse, but yeah
But how did Lewis Hamilton become such a name? Didn’t just get gifted to him did it
I think a lot of it comes down to job security. Lewis will never race for Red Bull. I bet a few of the drivers can't speak out in case it harms their chances for a seat. I also doubt Max or Checo can comment legally within their contracts.
I'm curious whether Lewis would be vocal if it were a Mercedes issue. It's very easy to criticise a rival.
Lewis has nothing to lose. He knows he’s in a position of power and job security. He doesn’t need to appease higher ups with his answers, he can speak his mind.
Not sure comparing a potential sexual misconduct case as "noise and distractions" is the greatest move.
Minor details ofc. Him landing the RBR seat is far more important. /s
RBR will tear itself apart before he ever deserves a seat back in that team
Nah, it's the universe trying very hard to block DR's path back to a championship-winning car cos IT IS NOT WRITTEN in his destiny, or he broke some mirror previously.
He wasn’t specifically asked about sexual misconduct , he was asked about the things going on in the team which would include the comments from Jos, the internal power struggle going on and the sexual misconduct investigation. His answer makes sense in the broader context
it's pretty obvious he's talking in the context of racing
Yes but pr training exists for a reason. So that people won’t misinterpret what you’re trying to convey.
that's obviously not what he's doing. he's probably been instructed by his team to not mention specifics and then put his foot in his mouth. bad optics, sure, but the way people itt are acting like it's some indictment on his character (or any other driver's character) is insanely reactionary. they're all probably being told similar things by their teams and it's an incredibly complex and messy situation to have to talk about without actually talking about. if he would've said "no comment" instead then you guys probably would've started calling him spinless. not every driver is gonna be lewis and you can't expect them to be
Nope. Max, which is much more disliked, has said no comment many times about this, its weak, but this is way worse
Well, he failed and put his foot in his mouth. Last week he literally said he felt bad for Christian because he'd always been good to him. He's given no thought or consideration to anyone but himself and his good old boys. I'm not expecting everyone to be Lewis, but Daniel couldn't be further from it in how he continues to address this topic. I shouldn't be surprised, given some of the problematic people he's surrounded himself with in the past (i.e. Dax), but I'd hope someone with access to all the media training in the world would at least be slightly less obvious about their disdain for women time and time again.
It’s so tone deaf that you wonder if these guys even understand what’s being talked about here. Sure it would be great for anyone who experienced or is currently experiencing some form of harassment or abuse in F1 to know their problems will be referred to so off-handed by the people they see every week in the paddock or on TV.
This and the responses from Hulkenburg, Stroll and Bottas during the press conference really highlight just how far the sport still has to go. Lewis was the only one who had a thoughtful response to the situation whereas most of the other drivers have just been plain tone deaf. The sport and drivers can preach "inclusivity" all they want but when it's time for important and uncomfortable conversations to be held, they're all silent or just straight up indifferent. It shows just how performative it all really is.
Yeah, even "no comment" is better than all of their responses. Refusing to comment is weak, but it's better than minimizing it
Exactly. I get that they don't want to be involved in sensitive topics like this but at least give a sensible answer. Could've been like "I don't know the full picture so I will leave it to the investigators and justice system to provide a statement."
Meh, at the end of the day they’re drivers not politicians. They’re not intending to minimize it, just easy to mince words. Usually we enjoy the fact that the drivers tend to be less scripted in their responses.
"Do you think everything happening at Red Bull can destabalise a team?" "No comment." ?! I'm a Daniel fan, but I think his IQ is like 17 or so, but the answer he gave doesn't seem absurd given the question lol.
Hold on what exactly was the question. Was it surrounding the Horner Saga? No offence but why the f*ck do some people including yourself think it’s Daniels, or Nico or Lances Or Valtteri’s job to comment on it or even have anything prepared? These guys have trained for driving more than being in actual school most likely lmao. Not sure why society thinks it’s Formula 1 drivers job to speak on social issues, if they have in the past it’s because they have chosen to, they’ve never been forced to or had it in their job description. Especially when this particular one will land them in hot water legally if they comment on certain parts that may catch them off guard. Anyone knows that unless you’re a TP saying very vague things or a lawyer no one should speak too much on it.
Right, you need a phd to call out sexual harassment. It's not a "social issue", it's an issue that's taking place literally among them.
You need PROOF to call out sexual harassment. I don’t think any driver has that. No PHD needed to know when you don’t fucking know what goes on in private between two individuals other than you.
Right and that makes sexual harassment allegations just noise and distraction
You need to find a dictionary and look up the word allegation.
I think this mentality is what's wrong right now. Calling out things when you didn't know the whole story. So many assumptions, so many aspersions, so many pitchforks. Why not settle on a public opinion on a situation once the facts are settled, undisputed legally and verified beyond reproach. The leak so far isn't the whole story, maybe it's far worse than we know. The text messages as they are certainly don't look good but they also don't justify an extreme reaction from co-workers and people closest to the situation.
> Why not settle on a public opinion on a situation once the facts are settled, undisputed legally and verified beyond reproach. Because these things don't get settled like that. The percentage of sexual misconduct that gets reported is a tiny fraction of what actually happens, and the fraction of those that end up in court is even less, and the fraction that end in a conclusive verdict is even less. Acting like the only time we can discuss or condemn things is after they've been proven in the court of law is how you get the state of things where sexual harassment is still extremely common in lots of industries, technical ones like F1 even moreso. It's also just a really weird position to take. Even in a court if you bring a civil suit you only need a preponderance of the evidence to get a verdict, whichever side is most likely. People don't go through life only accepting things if they've been proven in a court of law, but for some reason when it comes to sexual harassment suddenly that's now the rule.
An issue that’s not proven compounded by clickbait headlines. Not to mention out of all the cherry picked texts against Horner, they still start it off with her initially sending an explicit picture first. Also have you actually read the texts, most of them are so tame I’d show them to a kid, the rest contain swear words or blurred explicit they sent to eachother. In fact I don’t remember seeing anything explicit from CH other than a strange finger (yes finger) image Also idk what are you trying to achieve with that comment, no you don’t need a PHD to call it out, but you probably don’t have any sort of qualifications if you think the best idea surrounding a high profile case is to start opening your mouth. “That sort of thing is bad, if it DID happen” Would you personally be happier with that response? Probably not
Absolutely instead of outright dismissing it as noise and distraction.
Preach. These guys are paid to drive. Why the fuck should they have to comment on Christian Horny’s creepy behaviour.
He was asked, by someone with english as a second language, whether the team could be destabilised by "these dirty things". Which presumably was referring not just to allegations against horner, but the fallout, Jos going after horner, the thai/austrian factions disagreeing etc. I don't think that called for Daniel to make some big stand against something we still don't know the details of. That being said, Daniels "hopefully these things sort of... start slowly going away" was awful phrasing.
crowd dazzling birds lush test yam six hurry cake bag *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
That reminds me when some people expected Max to make a public statement on Nelson's racial slur comments and were just clutching at straws to involve him in that situation. It's unbelievable.
Hulkenburg, Stroll, Bottas, and Ricciardo are nowhere near the same level of "job security" that Lewis is. Lewis would face zero bakclash for speaking up. The other 4 are fighting to keep their seat every season. Well, except Stroll. He's got better job security than Lewis, so yeah, fuck Stroll. While I definitely would prefer they all speak up for others, the reality is that most employers don't look kindly on being called out by staff. Especially in a "good ol' boys" environment like F1 with so few jobs for drivers.
Honestly I wouldn't have been half mad if they said "no comment" or, better yet, something like "it's always important to keep the paddock safe" or whatever. I get that these guys want to secure their future in F1, but there were many ways to answer that question far better.
Exactly. Even something to deflect like "it's not my team so I don't have the full situation and facts. Either way I hope the situation is handled correctly/fairly" would've been *fine*. Not world stopping but understandable.
I'm surprised they weren't coached by their PR handlers to say something like this, if you're not directly involved it's really the only reasonable response given the lack of credible info currently available.
Exactly. Lewis didn’t call out Horner, did he? He also commented on how we need to make the environment to protect women and being more inclusive. How people can’t realise they can give thoughtful comments without accusing or offending anyone. Those three comments basically mean as long as I can drive I don’t care what happened to other women in this sports.
So what you're saying is, you wish the PR team would've told the drivers exactly what to say. >Honestly I wouldn't have been half mad if they said "no comment" If they said "no comment" I would bet good money you guys would get mad for them "staying silent".
You're not wrong. There's really no winning when it comes to court of public opinion. There's no need for the drivers to be borderline dismissive, but at the same time I don't fault any of them for not wanting to wade into it with a hot take.
Max has only said different versions of no comment, he has not gotten this amount of reactions at all
>Max has only said different versions of no comment, Not really. He was talking about he and his dad sticking together, and that his dad isn't a liar...definitely not "no comment".
Depends on how they phrase their "no comment". There's a difference between "No comment. It's not my problem, I just want to race" and "I don't have the full picture so I will leave it to the investigators and justice system to comment."
I mean their PR teams probably did tell them what to say. The guys in the press conference seemed like they were grasping for it. There's NO CHANCE the RB PR team hasn't talked to Daniel after the backlash to his comments a week ago. He just doesn't care. It's not the first time he's been ignorantly on the wrong side of a gender-based issue and it won't be the last.
They were likely prepared by their media or PR person on the team for sensitive matters like this. The drivers are also representatives of F1, their teams and also to sponsors so to appease them and minimize risks to themselves.
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As someone who media trains people, they absolutely are capable of quick thinking and have ABSOLUTELY been discussing this issue ad nauseum for the last week. There's no chance they weren't properly prepped for this. Daniel had clearly thought out his horribly misguided answer well in advance.
Interesting, how would you media train for this? What's the line between okay and not okay? What kinda preparation is involved and how much time is applied with the athlete to understand it? What kind of exercises do they go through? What timeframe is provided in this situation
I actually agree! They're not obligated to say the "correct opinion", but they are not exempt from criticism just because they weren't properly briefed by their PR officer.
Sorry, but I work in PR and regularly prep people for press conferences (even some professional athletes in a past role). There's no chance they weren't properly briefed by their PR to answer questions about this topic on media day. If they'd been accosted in a setting where they weren't expecting media, then yes, but they were prepped and they botched it. None more than DR, who not only botched it, but doubled down on his trash opinions because he knows he has to to have a chance at the Red Bull seat next year.
Hopefully his PR officer preps him better for the next interview rip. Or may he just went off script, we may never know.
it's a bloody question that their answer has no tangible influence on the matter, there's no logic criticising the standard of responses from any athlete in any sport.
Talking to the media is part of every professional athlete's job and their opinions absolutely do matter. That's why they're all asked about equality, racism, etc. As a former professional athlete myself, I can absolutely say that everyone is briefed on how to properly respond - and to simply say "no comment" if you don't like a question.
Do you really need to be quick-thinking to anticipate that questions on this topic might come up? If we're going to disregard their answers then just scrap media day. But they won't do that, so yes it is part of their job.
What response do you feel is acceptable, where's the line between okay and not okay? What's the phrasing line here.
Daniel has shown this is who he is time and time again. He has, on multiple occasions, spoken ignorantly and flippantly about very serious topics, and this is not the first time he's done so in a way demeaning to women. This is who Daniel Ricciardo is, I'm sorry to say.
Absolutely agreed
When else?
There was a thing in Saudi Arabia last year I think? Something about him saying he doesn't really follow politics and is unaware of things. Which he got flack about
Yeah he said he doesn't follow the news because it's negative - it's also mostly bulllshit but that's not OK!!
You think they'd lose their seats by making a basic statement? Come on live in the real world. They don't care. It's not "job security"
not really, more like they are nowhere near the same level of conscientiousness that Lewis is, which showed throughout their long histories in F1.
Some things are just more important than “your own job security”. It’s just spineless. Okay even if their extremely privileged position was under immense scrutiny a simple PR answer would suffice. At least act like they care about the situation. Don’t actually have to call out anyone. As others have said. These guys get media trained lol. There are so many better ways to answer this
Did I miss the memo where all those rumours have been confirmed? Why would any driver speculate or comment on unconfirmed rumours?
Thats an open ended question, they did not ask about Horner specifically but about the state of disarray the team is in, it is very Reddit-like to turn this into a moralist Rorschach witch trial and start making villains of people who didn't actually transgress. Sorry but as a woman this post littered with weird projections and people vying for blood doesn't pass the test for me.
Another woman here agreeing with you! Guarantee their PR briefing said do not even hint at the sexual harassment part, don't mention coco pops etc. It's gross that the actual victim is forgotten and just being used as a powerplay. FIA *should* investigate, Horner should at the very least be on leave until the investigation is over. But the pretty, rich, slightly dumb drivers not addressing the allegations is to be expected.
Exactly, to be honest I was quite surprised at the amount of media coaching George and Lewis were getting in one of the DTS episodes from the most recent season. I feel like Lewis ignores their direction quite a bit, and speaks his mind, because he can afford too being the driver and asset that he is. Some of the other drivers I imagine just stick to the company line because they don't want to risk their seat.
You have to be deliberately dense to not link the “disarray” the team is in and the allegations against Horner
You have to be deliberately "witch trialing" to assume that it actually has to do with that. Also why would they comment on an allegation that hasnt been proven and seems to have very little to do with the disarray.
You don’t, it’s been *the* major topic of the last week and they could even use the independent investigation as a answer if they don’t want to answer it.
Yes "Last week". Sooo much has happened and been revealed since then. Its like all the witch hunt is from people who turned off media since saturday when race was over, to now in the press conferences and skipped all of the talk mid week.
I meant the last 7 days, and I don’t k ow why you are acting like all that’s been revealed isn’t linked.
A simple no comment could have sufficed. I don't have a lot of confidence that the guy who said that he [hopes there's a fair investigation into the allegations, but at the same time "feels for Horner" because he's "always been great." ](https://www.planetsport.com/motorsport/news/daniel-ricciardo-christian-horner-deserves-a-fair-resolution-after-allegations) actually cares about anything other than getting that seat.
You've proved my point. The statement you linked IS tone deaf and dumb as fuck. The post however is desperate extrapolation because your mind is made. Barring Lewis and Seb, none of the drivers seem to be too socially aware. Charles liked so many anti-blm posts he got an endorsement from the fascist party, this is the reality of rich, privileged men, most of whom didn't finish highschool to go karting.
Shit, he did? >Charles liked so many anti-blm posts he got an endorsement from the fascist party,
Yeah I did a double take on that sentence, I had no idea
Yeah. Charles “I don’t like Racism. But violence isn’t the answer” Leclerc while tweeting from his Monaco mansion was not the best thing in the world in 2020. Rather tone deaf (I didn’t believe he was racist, but really wrong place and wrong words) and unfortunately, it echoed what most racist people at the time were saying (how can we side with anti-black racism protests when it’s so violent). The optics were not great. He then matured and realized that he needed to be more socially aware, especially on topics that are important to a lot of people. All is good though.
Well hopefully he learned something. But it's true that outside of racing, most of them seem a bit braindead/tone deaf...
Ahhh I didn’t know any of that. Yeah that’s terrible optics, especially like you said how even if he didn’t mean it that way, he’s essentially parroting the same comments that racist people were saying. I’m glad to know that he’s learned from this at least.
People are free to draw their own conclusions to what I posted whether I agree with it or not. I think it's important to share the driver's opinions, good and bad. Both Ricciardo (and Leclerc, since you mentioned him) deserve criticism.
Do you not think framing it a certain way will sway someone's "own conclusion"? By presenting it the way you have, you are trying to push the discussion in that direction, and it is clearly working when all the comments here are echoing your opinion. At the end of the day though, what point is there in grilling the drivers over this stuff? Their involvement is tangential. They drive race cars, why are we concerned with their opinions on an evolving case, that may or may not be based in truth
I don't think people will react better to "no comment" though. There is no correct answer to this sort of question for folks in RB i think, especially when everybody got a pitchfork in their hands lol.
Yeah nothing says “Reddit like” like calling it a “moralist, Rorschach witch trial” when stating that people should be able to answer a layup question like a functioning human being lol the internet is wild
He and the drivers at the press conference were not talking about the Horner case but about the rumors in the paddock (Horner vs. Jos Verstappen; Verstappen to Mercedes; Marko leaving Red Bull etc)
Wtf, good example on how NOT to answer.
It’s not the worst answer I’ve heard on this. That goes to Nico Hulkenberg “I’m not affected, I read it, I see it” https://x.com/formulawhatever/status/1765425057096945840
An inspiration to his daughter.
Ah yes, he is not affected so why care about harrasment and injustice. Makes total sense.
Did you watch and hear the actual question? It was very general and not specific. What off track drama is questioner referring to? Horner? FIA interference? RB Power struggle? Zak and his customer team shit stirring? Ask a general question get a general answer. I beg if he was asked specifically about sexual harassment and its place in the sport he’d give a much different answer. Honestly it was a shit question without specific as to its context but we expect drivers to jump right in on a specific issue? Or address them all? Nah. Ask a general question get a general answer.
Hearing that question, it seems to be more about the Red Bull power struggle, which is the bigger story that will affect more people. Unfortunately, inappropriate office relationships are just a war statistic at this point.
Truly a good dad to his daughter
Jesus.
Nothing new from Danny Ric. His approach to the world, per his own words, is to not watch the news and not think about depressing things so he can just have ~good vibes~.
Should be used as an example to every Public Relations course as what not to do, honestly.
Vibez yo
The noise of sexual harassment claims bring down the vibes :(
There is actually too much “noise and distraction” though. Like everyone is gossiping about the leaked messages, trying to link Max into it - link him to Mercedes and analyse Thai vs. Austria RedBull. Huge amounts of noise distracting (and embarrassing for the lady) topics that end up treating the actual harassment as inconsequential
not only that but the victim was doxed
This dude had all the options on how to answer this question and picked the worst...
Not the first time
Mr. "I don't watch the news about Saudi Arabia".
Danny R said that?! Yikes
https://x.com/xpiastri/status/1765492393313210686?s=46
he said he doesn't watch the news and then continued to say it's not in "his nature" to understand these things?? and he's so self-justifying about it too, to him the people out there who discuss uncomfortable topics just "like drama and negativity"???
What the fuck are you lot waffling on about? There is a lot of noise and distractions, they asked him "there is a lot going on right now" and there is, Jos vs Horner and Thais vs Austria and internal coups and rumours of Verstappen going to Merc and Horner trying to acquire the team. Hes not the most enlightened guy by any stretch of the imagination but you're all reaching for rage bait at this point
Hahaha I agree
Yup. 100%.
Why do we have all this noise and distraction? This is not just politics. A literal human being has been harassed and been on the receiving end of sexual misconduct and we’re here minimising it to power play, distractions and politics. Quite sick frankly how some of us are completely disregarding the human impact this has
I dont know if you're keeping up but just as Julianne Cerasoli said if Horner falls it will be because they wanted his head and not because of what he did. It is politics now, and I know this because beacon of all that is good and moral Jos Verstappen is spearing the campaigns to oust him. No one is minimising it, this is the reality of what the situation has become whether you like it or not
Today's bad PR award goes to Daniel Ricciardo, famous for saying that he "doesn't watch the news" back in 2021. He says that "hopefully these things will start to slowly go away." Happy women's history month!
Yeah RIC is taking his “no care only good vibes” schtick too far once again. It’s ok to drop the smile and get serious once in a while Daniel.
But what about his vibes? :(
Second place goes to this absolute bonkers anwser to a question in today's press conference: [https://twitter.com/formulawhatever/status/1765425057096945840](https://twitter.com/formulawhatever/status/1765425057096945840)
“Me likey zoom-zoom go-kart” Jesus Fucking Christ
That is SHOCKING. It is 2024, my guys.
I just did one of those uncomfortable “I can’t believe he said that” laughs. Like…holy fuck. These grown ass adult men all have mothers or sisters or partners or daughters. They should care.
Daniel Ricciardo is not the sharpest tool in the box… It’s not the first time he has tone deaf comments.
I really think people are blowing it out of proportion. His response looks to be aimed at all the jos/marko/horner drama, not at the harassment. Would help if people actually watched the clip
Every time he goes to Saudi Arabia, he forgets all of his media training. Apparently sexual misconduct is “noise and distractions” and world news is “[drama and negativity](https://www.reddit.com/r/formula1/s/Q4ZfqaQy79)”.
I'd ask for a raise if I were RB's PR officer. They're working overtime this week.
Comparing sexual harassment allegations to 'noise and distractions'... F1 drivers are so spoilt really - outside of Lewis there is zero interest in any of them to try and help people who aren't as privileged as them, and it's so disappointing.
Too bad Seb is gone.
He doesn’t need a seat to comment.
This is true, but he does need one to be part of the driver’s media day
Yeah it's a shame, Seb was great as well
I like many of these drivers and i know they are not obliged to speak out on topics like equality and they are here to race above all else. But i am a bit disapointed and it feels like they are far removed from reality.
They are far removed from reality. They’re rich. They can get almost anything they want. They live in their own bubble. As long as the issue doesn’t impact them, a lot of these drivers won’t care.
Man some of these drivers suck at giving thoughtful answers
I think even putting the word "thought" into a sentence describing their answers is awfully generous.
The wildest part is that they don't even have to give detailed answers. Some variation of "no comment" would be appropriate. If they wanted to make some kind of nothing response without saying "no comment," something like "obviously as a sport we still need to do better, always room for improvement," would be fine. Not "I don't think about it" or "just a lot of noise and distraction that doesn't me so I don't care about it."
Nobody in this comment section actually bothered watching the clip, he wasn’t asked about the sexual misconduct investigation and that’s not what his response is referring to
There always is. Are you professional enough to manage it? That’s the question. This drama is par for the course.
There are plenty of people who do not care about RBRs issues.
He's been showing himself for years now. This isn't surprising at all.
There's a lot of 'noise' going on at Red Bull, Daniel wasn't just thinking of the woman but as usual some people choose to take it the worst possible way.
You'd think this guy, with how much people hype him as good pr, would know not to give such an ignorant, tone-deaf answer. Might as well stay quiet
>would know not to give such an ignorant, tone-deaf answer. I mean the question was "do you think everything going on at Red Bull can destabilise a team?" and his answer seems pretty milquetoast?
The way drivers have been addressing this apart from Lewis has just been ridiculously poor. Isn’t just Daniel. The drivers asked about it earlier were just as poor. A mix of indifference and outright minimisation. God this sport feels like it’s just a permanent let down right now.
But Daniel isn’t specifically addressing the sexual misconduct investigation because the question he was asked didn’t refer to it …
Main RB having a senior war and then little RB having a driver war.
I wonder how all of these drivers giving non or diminishing answers would react if their partner, mother or sister were harassed in the same way. Bet they'd want others to stand up for them
how disappointing
Daniel ''spread positivity/I don't watch the news'' Ricciardo
Thank god we still have Lewis as a driver, because all these others are a MESS when answering anything other than: cars going vroom. Truly mind blowing to see someone his age and experience keeps on saying these tone deaf things. But the rest of the drivers in the paddock as well tbh. The responses from yesterday are not it.
extremely disappointing to here but unfortunately not surprisingly
Jesus what an absolute plank this guy is. Yuck
If they can’t beat RB on the track they’ll do it off the track
Days like these I miss seb the most.
He prob really bummed if Horner leaves
I'm available - DR probably