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Hamilton deserves credit for addressing issue whether or not he takes a knee | Giles Richards

Lewis Hamilton may decide against kneeling for the US anthem in Austin but his interest in political issues is a welcome change in the world of F1Lewis Hamilton is the most fascinating character in Formula One and thankfully so. It is a sport whose participants have become so stage-managed as to have hidden their personalities behind a slick corporate veneer. Hamilton has been steadfast in remaining true to himself. At the US Grand Prix this weekend, he may do so again but with potentially huge and also perhaps unexpected repercussions. If the British driver chooses to kneel during the US national anthem on Sunday, it would put him at the heart of one of the most divisive conflicts between politics and...

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Magnificent seven – how Mercedes-Ferrari battle for F1 title could pan out | Giles Richards

Lewis Hamilton leads the Formula One championship by three points from Sebastian Vettel with Mercedes seeming to have the advantage in four of the remaining seven grands prix from Singapore to Abu DhabiSeven races to go and three points in it – Formula One has a finale to the season it has so desperately needed since the turbo-hybrid era began. It has had tight finishes, in 2014 and 2016, but only in a two-horse fight between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the same Mercedes machinery.It was on occasion gripping but nothing on this season’s struggle between two of the best drivers of their generation at the top of their games, representing different teams. Now Sebastian Vettel’s battle with Hamilton...

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IOC selective blindness continues but Rio 2016 scandal looks all too familiar | Marina Hyde

As the scandal over international corruption and vote buying for the 2016 Olympic Games escalates the International Olympic Committee’s myopic response has again left more than a little to be desiredAs the Olympic flame was lit before beginning its journey to Rio last year the IOC president, Thomas Bach, intoned: “The Olympic flame means hope to us all.” Mr Bach will likely be feeling hopeful now, with the news that the Rio home of Brazil’s Olympic committee chief has been raided, along with various other addresses, as part of a major investigation into international corruption and vote buying for the 2016 Olympic Games.Bach will be hopeful that this is just a cosmic misunderstanding, hopeful that the £155,000 cash the police reportedly...

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Grid penalties for new car components to be a thing of past after Monza’s near farce

Nine F1 drivers took penalties accruing 150 places at the Italian Grand Prix while Ferrari prepare for a dogfight against Mercedes – McLaren merely seek a solutionLong bemoaned by fans, the application of grid penalties for replacing power unit components and gearboxes reached almost farcical levels at Monza. Nine drivers took penalties accruing 150 places and changing the qualifying results to such an extent that Lewis Hamilton on pole and Romain Grosjean, who crashed in the first session, were the only drivers to have retained their original positions. Such was the scale of the movement, Kevin Magnussen, who was knocked out in Q1, found himself in the top 10. Related: Lewis Hamilton out to push harder after seizing the initiative...

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Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel’s epic battle makes Monza unmissable | Giles Richards

Formula One’s title rivals are expecting a fight to the finish, which may take its toll on the drivers but is exactly what fans and everyone else wantsLewis Hamilton is a driver who wears his heart on his race suit but after victory at Spa his usual exhilaration was tempered by a somewhat cold detachment. In the Ardennes there was a steely acknowledgement that he had won only a minor battle in what promises to be a long fight.Hamilton knows how tough this season’s title fight is going to be. He does so due to the competitiveness Ferrari showed in Belgium on what was expected to be a Mercedes track and because of how title rival Sebastian Vettel extracted everything...

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