Like everyone who wells up when he towels champagne off himself with the union jack, I was shocked to see Lewis Hamilton crop up in the Paradise Papers. Among other eye-rollers, the Formula One world champion is accused of a tax avoidance scheme that involved him renting his own £16.5m private jet from himself. Is it worse than Bono? I don’t know. I’ll tell you when my sedation wears off.
For now, the shock has given way to two major concerns. The first is that this might be a bit of a pisser as far as Lewis’s bid for a knighthood goes. My own view is that titles are always rather silly, but others are naturally welcome to disagree, and we do know that Lewis has long had designs on one. Only last week, as he became Britain’s most successful F1 driver of all time, he was eyeing a visit to Buckingham Palace in the New Year’s honours. “I have been trying to represent England the best way I can,” Lewis explained, “and if that is at some stage recognised by the Queen I would be incredibly honoured.”
Related: Lewis Hamilton says tax allegations will not distract him from racing
Related: Lewis Hamilton avoided taxes on £16.5m jet using Isle of Man scheme
Continue reading...