COUGH IT UP
Lewis Hamilton declares ‘cash is king’ in slamming F1 chiefs for ignoring coronavirus threat and staging Australian GP
LEWIS HAMILTON has slammed F1 chiefs' decision to press ahead with the Australian GP - despite the threat of the coronavirus.
While other sports have all reacted to the threat of the killer infection, including the NBA who have suspended their season, F1 have buried their heads in the sand.
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Incredibly, there is still no reaction from the sport's owners or F1's governing body, yet world champion Hamilton had the balls to speak out.
When quizzed as to why this race was going ahead, Hamilton crucially said: "Cash is King. I don't know why we are here.
"I don't feel like I should shy away from my opinion. The fact is we are here and I just urge everyone to be as careful as you can be in terms of touching doors and surfaces.
"For the fans, I hope they take precautions, too. As I was walking through the paddock and seeing everything going ahead as normal as if it is a normal day but I don't think it really is.
"I hope the fans stay safe and we go through this weekend and we don't see any fatalities or things come out in the future.
"I am really very, very surprised that we are here. It is great that we have races but for me it is shocking that we are all sitting in this room.
"It seems like the rest of the world is reacting, probably a little bit late, but we have seen Donald Trump shut down the borders from Europe to the States, the NBA has been suspended, yet Formula One continues to go on."
Hamilton's comments should be applauded while Liberty Media and the FIA should come under intense criticism for their handling of the situation.
I heard the results are not going to come back for five days, coincidentally..."
Lewis Hamilton On F1 Staff's Coronavirus Tests
Amid accusations they have acted irresponsibly, the Mercedes ace's comments come after another two members of the Haas team were being tested for the virus.
The count is now believed to be up to eight people, but the official numbers have not been declared by the FIA.
And cryptically, Hamilton said: "I heard the results are not going to come back for five days, coincidentally..."
To decipher the message, five days meaning that the results come AFTER Sunday's race.
While Hamilton was outspoken, many of his peers have blindly placed their faith in the FIA.
However, four-time world champion, Sebastian Vettel, said that should anyone associated with F1 die as a result of the coronavirus, then the drivers would force the race to be cancelled.
In a show of solidarity, the Ferrari man said that the body that represents F1 drivers, the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, would stand firm and not race.
He said: "My stand and I hope others would agree, we hope it doesn't get that far.
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"If it were to get that far, then for sure you would pull the handbrake.
"We are a group of 20 guys and I think we got together over the last few years, for various circumstances and various topics, and I think we share a common opinion on big decisions and that would qualify as a very big decision.
"Ultimately, you look at yourself and I think we would be mature enough to look after yourselves and pull the handbrake in that case."
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