General
Hamilton: 'Why don't they let the public in for free?'
- GPblog.com
Formula 1 considers it important to race in the Middle East. The organizers of the Grand Prix pay a lot of money for it. However, the public in countries such as Bahrain are not particularly enthusiastic about Formula 1.
Grateful
Barely an hour and a half before the start of the Grand Prix, many, many empty seats can be seen in the grandstands. In the spots that are filled, mostly foreigners are seated. The Dutch, and also some British flags can be seen supporting Lewis Hamilton. The former world champion was asked about it during the drivers' parade.
"I feel great," Hamilton said on the truck that drove around the track. "We have a lot of British flags here, but not a lot of fans compared to other places. I am wondering, why don't they open it up for free here, it'd be so much better."
In the mix
Hamilton will start from spot five. "Just excited for the race, we probably don't have the performance to keep up with the guys ahead, but I'll be doing everything I can to maximise, and want to make sure I see the end of the race. He [Bottas] did an amazing job. Many of the drivers did, Kevin did after coming out of retirement. To see Haas and Alfa up there is awesome," Hamilton added.