09/05/2023
NEWS STORY
Verstappen, Perez and Alonso as unimpressed by the pre-race show as the rest of us.
If the results are turning out to be a little too predictable this season, so too was the reaction to the change to the pre-race format.
Not having learned its lesson from the 2017 cringe-fest, when boxing announcer, Michael Buffer introduced the drivers ahead of the United States Grand Prix at COTA, FOM opted to take things a little further in the year that the US hosts three races for the first time since the 80s.
Almost half-an-hour before the race, the drivers were individually introduced to the crowd by rapper LL Cool J, while Will.I.Am (James Adams Jr), sporting a black ensemble adorned in sponsor logos pretended to conduct an orchestra, all to the accompaniment of a group of spandex attired, pom-pom waving cheerleaders.
Yes, it was as bad as it sounds.
Speaking after the race, the three podium finishers were not too impressed with the new format, not so much for the naffness of it all but the fact that it takes up crucial time when they should be preparing for the race ahead.
"To be honest, I did have enough preparation before, to speak to my engineers and stuff for the race," said Max Verstappen. "But, personally, I think this is just a bit of a personality thing, right?
"Some people like to be more in the spotlight, some people don't," he added. "I personally don't. So for me, I think that naturally, of course, what they did today is not necessary. I prefer to just talk to my engineers, walk to my car, put the helmet on and drive.
"But of course, I understand the entertainment value...
"I just hope, of course, we don't have that every single time, because we have a very long season, so we don't need an entry like that every time. But it also depends a bit on the crowd, I think, in terms of what you want in terms of entertainment. So yeah, I think it's just a personal preference as well from the drivers. For me personally not."
"I think as long as we don't do it on too many occasions, I think it's nice to do it once for the crowd," added Sergio Perez, who was handed a reprimand for his late arrival at the parade, "but we also have to be very respectful of the drivers, that we need our own time to get ready. It's just minutes before the race start and I think as long as this doesn't happen very often, it's OK."
"I understand the point of view of everybody," agreed Fernando Alonso, "but I'm not a big fan of those kinds of things just before the race.
"If we have to do it, I think we need to remove some of the other stuff we are doing like the parade lap or something like that, because it's really in the middle of the preparation with the engineers and the strategy meeting.
"And I disagree a little bit if we do it, we have to do it everywhere because I don't think that the Miami fans are better than the Italian fans in Imola or in Spain or in Mexico or in Japan. I think we need to make everyone with the same rules and the same show before the race."
The podium finishers weren't the only drivers unimpressed with the ceremony, which was the subject of much discussion at the drivers' briefing on Friday.
"It's the show," said Alex Albon, "we're in the show business now", while Lando Norris admitted that "none of the drivers like it, but it's not for us at the end of the day."
"It's distracting because, you know, we were on the grid for half an hour in all of our overalls in the sun," said George Russell. "I don't think there's any other sports in the world that thirty minutes before you go out to do your business that you're out there in the sun, all the cameras on you, and making a bit of a show of it.
"We spoke about it as drivers on Friday night," he added. "Everybody's got different personalities. I guess it's the American way of doing things, doing sport. "Personally, it's probably not for me. But you know, that's just my personal opinion."
"They are trying new things," argued Lewis Hamilton, 2they're trying to improve the show always, and I'm in full support of it.
"Geez, I grew up listening to LL Cool J, and LL Cool J was there," he grinned. "That's cool. You look over, you've got Will.I.Am who's an incredible artist. You've got Serena and Venus standing there. I thought it was cool."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Miami here.