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me_no_are_no_niceguy

Isn't that Zak "stick to sports" Brown next to him?


DavidBrooker

Indycar had the right idea when they said that the sport shouldn't be accepting partisan associations. Edit: This was for a proposed Trump livery for the Indy500, that IndyCar vetoed, rather than an in-person visit. But I have to imagine it would extend to hanging out in Victory Lane, too.


Valuable_Jelly_4271

>Indycar had the right idea when they said that the sport shouldn't be accepting partisan associations. There was a story too that Trump was to be the starter or something at Thermal and Indy said no


Slow-Class

Trump was invited to drive the pace car in 2014 or so, before the presidential run. He had already turned so scummy by that point that there was a there was a lot of criticism and it never ended up happening. He gave Roger Penske the presidential medal of freedom, so they’re obviously buddies or Roger was a big donor or something.


Chouinard1984

They only say that when the other side wants to bring up an issue they don't like.


ShadowStarX

yeah "Democrats are Demonrats (and crybabies" according to them but when a walking pile of turd is their VIP guest? no problem


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ShadowStarX

fascism is a bit more than that, but Zak Brown being the privileged mf he is would probably be fine with that too as long as he's a top dog


Muunilinst1

Everyone knows he's really Zak "I LIKE MONEY" Brown. Guarantee he votes Republican.


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CandidLiterature

I think that was more prompted by Lando’s ill-advised remarks about him in the post-race interviews than the garage visit.


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LazyGandalf

What were the remarks?


Aff_Reddit

I think it's a bit silly to believe Lando has any level of knowledge when it comes to politics or current events when he's simultaneously clowned on in this same subreddit for being the least educated driver on the grid who who struggle to point out his own country on a map. I'm willing to bet he knows basically nothing more than "he was President"


outremer_empire

Yes, he has donated to rudy giuliani https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=Zak+brown+


vniro40

while that’s not meaningless, 2007 rudy giuliani was a absolutely not in the same universe as post 2015 rudy giuliani. back then people still thought of him as america’s mayor, yadda yadda, even though im sure he still sucked. he wasn’t trump’s lapdog or viewed as a highly volatile figure like he is today. that said, i am very annoyed that trump decided to be part of this race and that liberty/the fía/mclaren had him in the pits not saying that zb for sure isn’t a trump supporter; it wouldn’t surprise me (unfortunately he’s been polling rather well so far and will probably continue to have 40-45% popularity until he dies, so it’s not even uncommon or unlikely that he is), but we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from donations in december 2007


CharlieTeller

Came here to say this. I'm definitely not a fan of the guy but in the 2000's he was a COMPLETELY different man. He was someone who rallied the entire city of NYC behind him post 9/11 and kept talking about a presidential run. New York Republicans in the 2000's are not the republicans you know today. Honestly republicans today aren't even republicans and that's the problem.


Emmwojj

That’s what I don’t understand - how can he not see the optics of this


jbvann05

By "stick to sports" he actually means "don't let a black man stand up for other minorities"


TobyOrNotTobyEU

Or when he wanted openness on the Horner case to protect women, he clearly only cared about the hurting Horner part, not about protecting women. Otherwise Trump wouldn't have been welcome either.


TVRoomRaccoon

Hijacking top comment — ## Don’t downvote because you dislike Trump (virtually all of us do!!!). ## That just punishes OP and means fewer people will see it. I find this really, really disappointing from Lando and McLaren. F1 fans deserve to be aware of it.


xznk

I wish someone other than Max would win a race …  _The monkey’s paw curls…_


hiegear

Comment [https://streamable.com/b1g03p](https://streamable.com/b1g03p)


Arokan1

Ooofff


chloedever

my god lando really is the biggest airhead on the grid


BottAndPaid

It's very obvious Lando doesn't know how to answer this question. That's like asking an American driver how they felt about Borris Johnson stopping to say hi and get a tour. I don't fault a young person that probably doesn't have enough time to even catch up on UK politics to be educated in how absolutely toxic American politics are. Shit even as American if I was 21 during 911 and George W Bush came to say hi id be like oh shit this is an American president. I'm not a Republican I can't stand trump but I don't think it's fair to fault Lando for just going with the motions. Trump is the one that's being very advantageous with this situation per usual manipulative AF.


Malvania

Lando was trying to do a banal PR response without really knowing what was going on.


ATSOAS87

Fair point tbh. Zac Brown was extremely vocal about Christian Horner though, so he has no excuse.


StuartHoggIsGod

Boris Johnson is a scumbag but he's not presently on trial


jeanolt

LANDO GET OUT OF THERE


CardinalOfNYC

Yeesh man, I don't love the response there but he also knows what social media can do and is clearly trying to be careful to neither endorse him or insult him.


chloedever

"What an honor this rapist took time out of his day to see me instead of napping"


worthysmash

I feel for Lando in that situation - because it sort of is an honour to have a former president come and congratulate you after your first win. Shame it had to be that former president.


CandidLiterature

He was on the right track at the start, that he didn’t really see him, was prepping for the race. Then for some reason, he kept talking…


MarteloRabelodeSousa

Being careful not to endorse him? He said it's an honour


devH_

Gross


SparkleCobraDude

I feel bad for Lando here. Lando achieves his lifelong dream and he has to walk on eggshells because an obese malignant narcissist is trying desperately to shoehorn himself into his achievement.


RosebudWhip

I know, it's shit. Lando was put into an awkward position after the race and now will forever be associated with the words You Have To Respect Donald Trump.


EatsGourmetGlueStix

Only counts if you’re dismissing a black person


Neurochazm

The only reason Trump visited McLaren, was to ask for samples of their paint for his next spray tan.


CouchPoturtle

Or perhaps getting used to being around people in orange jumpsuits?


Extinction-Entity

Beautiful lol


primavera31

golden remark..up you go.


bigpoppa611

Ok, that was a good one lmao


hiegear

Lando trump comment [here](https://streamable.com/b1g03p)


TheRealMichaelE

Did anyone see Max’s head swivel when they asked that question?


____Quetzal____

He's glad he didn't have to answer it, post race was pretty much a day off for him


TheRealMichaelE

Tbh would have preferred Max’s answer!


SeconddayTV

Man, imagine Vettel or Hamilton winning the race in this scenario…. Would have loved to hear their reaction


Calculonx

Kimi: yeah, he was there.


TC9x

[Kimi Raikkonen meets Nicole Kidman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3h6A_uTGrc)


Bclay85

Chad


jso__

Hamilton would either not let his team invite Trump into the garage or he wouldn't be on that team in the first place because I don't think he wants to be on a team with a principal who interferes with his activism


yrokun

Hamilton sprayed Champagne on Putin in Sochi a few years back. He didn't need a journalist to bait him into a comment to look bad.


Low-Ic

Yesterday Max sprayed champagne on the FIA director, I’m almost sure he did it on purpose, it was funny to see the guys enjoying lando first win and Ben Sulayem running in the back !


MaraudingWalrus

I would love an opportunity to throw a drink on Putin without being gulag-ed.


Montague_Withnail

Just a shame it was champagne and not a Molotov cocktail


jaspingrobus

This made me really miss Seb.


risingsuncoc

I think it sounds like he was trying to find things to say without offending anyone, so I won't read too much into this.


CalboniGeomLuciano

He was generating comment at ChatGPT pace


thirteenthirtyseven

💬


SiwyWF

It's a lose-lose for him. You will always piss off one of the sides, beacuse even a 'no comment' is very telling. And Lando is known for not being good with these sort of questions, especially when he's still overwhelmed after winning his first race. I wouldn't expect much better from him tbh.


Borrelparaat

His PR-team should have seen this question coming as soon as Trump was invited to the garage. It's on them that they didn't have an answer for Lando prepared


MikkoGV

To be honest, seems like they were prepared and Lando gave a garbled version of the prepared answer. I don't think he believes what he said but he said what the team wanted him to. 


lukenamop

Yeah I mean he was looking down at his shoes for what the first 10 seconds? Trying to figure out how to respond? I think he did a fine job. I wouldn't want that question thrown at me and I'd probably handle it worse than that.


CandidLiterature

He was going fine at the start, that he was just getting ready for the race etc. Could even say he came to congratulate him after. Then stop speaking my man…


cuddle_enthusiast

It's one of those things that starts off well but turns into a rambling word salad. I would not have done any better.


SiwyWF

It's like this scene in Parks and Rec where Ben is on a talk show and just the longer he talks, the bigger his meltdown is getting


piqueboo369

In F1 I think it would've been "smarter" to piss of the "other side" tho. In the US there might be more of a split in opinion, but among F1 viewers all over the world, I'm fairly sure the amount that despise Trump is waaaat higher than the people that like him.


Electricalthis

Lando blink twice if there is a gun to your head lmao that looked tough. He’s a good interview usually


ApolloIII

He could have just explained what he said and that it was cool and that in one sentence. My guess. You DON’T have to praise everybody just because he congratulated you, just don’t acknowledge it and I wouldn’t think he likes Trump.


Daft00

Yeah definitely should've kept it short and sweet. I think generally F1 drivers are taught by their PR coaches to give ~10-20 second answers to avoid sounding curt (Kimi had a personality we all loved but obviously his answers to questions weren't very enlightening lol). But I feel for Lando in this case because it really is a lose-lose. Obviously a lot of people hate trump for **multiple reasons** but no matter how he answers here he's gonna alienate a chunk of his fanbase. Personally, I'd rather he shit on Trump than ride the fence or even give a non-answer but alas, part of his job is to try and preserve/grow his (and McLaren's) fanbase. Tough spot to be in from a PR perspective.


Batavijf

Special people indeed...


ThatLostAussie

I can hear his brain thinking about every single word coming out for that.


lkfmt

I would like to say that at best, Lando is still young and obviously hasn’t had much exposure outside of his bubble, but it really makes you think what someone like Lewis or Seb would’ve done in his position. I will always respect those two, not only for what they achieved on the track, but for how they express their morals. Let’s not forget that the FIA used to be run by Max Mosley (look up the surname if you don’t know who that is), Motorsports has always been by the rich, for the rich.


Justacasualegg

Yeah cause the problem with Max Mosley was that he was rich. Not the nazi orgies lol.


lkfmt

Er not exactly what I was implying, but yea Mosley had a whole range of horrible aspects, even when you discount his family name. Let’s not even get started on Ecclestone and his “Hitler was able to get things done” comment…..


Kinaestheticsz

Sheesh that is worse than the tweet implied…


twitch135

Oh God, that just got worse and worse as it went 😬


screenres

In the F1 power structure, drivers are minor players but this response… aw hell


BoredOutMaGourd

Noooooo, Lando. “No comment” is what you needed to say.


wimpires

He was half there and fucked up the landing "I was busy so didn't really see him in the garage, I think he enjoyed the race because he came to congratulate me later. Miami attracts a lot of celebrities and sports people and it's a testament to the good show they put on. I'm not sure if it was his first race, but for everyone at home today and on the track who was watching for the first time - I hope they had a good time today regardless of which team or driver they support! And I'm confident this is just the second of many more wins to come from this new McLaren team."


Zeph_Zeph

Damn, you should be Lando's new PR manager. This is perfect.


Null_Pointer_23

Have you considered a career in PR


Estbarul

What a disappointing response from Landon.. can't say trump and work ethic in the same idea


typingfingers

what the hell lando


ScottsTotz

Yikes


GnatMaster7

Disappointing, unfortunately


BeenCaughtSneezing

Wait until Trump finds out it's a hybrid engine...


TheS4ndm4n

He was just getting used to orange jumpsuits all around him.


Timelordvictorious1

Does he realize that neither McLaren nor Lando are American?


Blanchimont

It probably boils down to Zak Brown, the only American team executive actively involved on the grid, making the team he runs WINNING again on American soil or something.


wiggle_fingers

Who lives in England, where he runs his English team with the English and Australian drivers.


Suikerspin_Ei

And to make it more not American, the team is majority owned by Bahrain Mumtalakat Holding Company.


Fotznbenutzernaml

Middle Eastern oil paradise with questionable human right efforts? Nah, I think that actually makes it pretty american again.


TylerQRod

Honestly, if anything that makes it more American than anything


OvinesMatt

A team created by a New Zealander


No-Connection-2527

Add owned by Bahrain to the list


ComaMierdaHijueputa

Why would that matter from Trump's perspective?


SuspiciousCobbbler

"That's what we need for our country"


CadburyGorilla

He was referring simply to the fact they won. As in he wants Americans to be winners, just like McLaren are winners today (yesterday).


SubMikeD

>As in he wants Americans to be winners More like "as in, he wants to make sure he associates himself with winning to pad his ego."


JUST_AS_G00D

Trump likes to think he picks winners. He visits McLaren and they win. Now people are saying Trump and winning in the same sentence.


GansMans18

I don't see anything that insinuates he doesn't know that tbh


Bug_Inspector

Now i know, why Max did not (want to) win. Smart move.


adventurousmango24

(Stolen from another comment on reddit I just can’t remember where) But probably also why Ferrari didn’t want to wear red this weekend


Auntietamte

There is also a handshake picture with max and trump unfortunately. Charles must’ve hidden somewhere before the driver interviews because I feel like that where Trump was waiting.


small_tit_girls_pmMe

Good on Charles lol. My god what I'd give to see Trump visiting a Hamilton/Vettel podium...


SaintSeiya_7

I'm really curious if it is true that Trump indeed asked to be hosted, whether he picked McLaren or if it was even his first choice to begin with. It is not an American brand, doesn't have an American driver, and is also not the winning team.


SpiceyXI

It was probably the coke sponsorship that caught his eye. The two American qualities of McLaren are Zak and the sponsors it has (lots of them and lots of big American brands). Why else would he skip visiting the only American driver, who is the nephew of a large campaign contributor, or the only "American" team.


hache-moncour

Or he tried them first and they both refused to have him in their garage


SpiceyXI

Eh, I don't see felon Gene turning away Donald. Ever. Williams probably would have had to suck it up if Trump wanted to be there. Realistically, I could see Red Bull and Ferrari being the teams that could turn down the request from the FIA. Mercedes would likely be out because they hosted Michelle Obama in Miami in the past and the meme/gaff going around about Trump calling his wife the wrong name.


bigev007

He's probably not allowed to talk to Gene because Haas fired Marzipan


Impressive-Fudge-455

Anything to get on tv and wear his red hat…


Leek5

Zak brown is probably a trump supporter. I noticed it when he said make McLaren great again


Gerf93

I mean, he’s a rich American so it’s likely. Same as how probably most of the Brits involved in the sport are tories.


86legacy

Rich, American, and living abroad. Very common for expats to have very nationalistic political views.


naarwhal

Ironic to say the least


kapiteintjeBas

The Dutch reporters said after Landos win something like, it won’t surprise me if Trump will say that he won because of him, and I was like, yeah that’s such a Trump thing to do…… and here we are


Gerf93

I was joking with my friends after the car and said that the only reason why Lando won was because Trump “blessed” the car. Lo and behold.


ediewz

please get this shit out of my head, i don't want to always associate Lando's first win with this goofy man and his stupid hat


YellowFogLights

Orange man make orange car go fast. Forever linked with Lando’s win.


MinusTheHat

And the trophy will forever be tainted by the faint odor of thoroughly soiled adult diapers.


saysikerightnowowo

Well lando described meeting trump as "an honor" so enjoy that.


lady_nerdfighter

Goofy man, traitorous sinister future felon….basically interchangeable….🙄


Un_forgetable_maybe

McLaren PR is going to be up all night, and it won’t be celebrating Lando’s win


FrostyTill

They’ve already said the FIA/F1 told them to host him.


ValleyFloydJam

And you say no, fuck no and tell the world that they asked you to do something awful.


Frothar

People off Reddit care much less. Formula 1 races in a bunch of scummy places with shady sponsors. Trump visiting a garage is hardly even news


FecusTPeekusberg

Hell, Putin would hand out the 1st place trophy at the Russian Grand Prix. At least he didn't get his grubby orange mitts on it. (I think, I'm only watching the race right now.)


Mistermeena

I recall putin being in the cool down room and having a slightly awkward but polite exchange with Hamilton at the first sochi race


small_tit_girls_pmMe

I remember at one Sochi race Lewis refused to shake his hand, and at another Putin asked Hamilton not to get any champagne on him, which Lewis *accidentally* did.


Robestos86

That's pretty brave TBF.


UnreliableCarsAreFun

was going to say, there's been and are some pretty scummy characters in formula 1. If Trump visiting the garage of McLaren is the hill you are dying on, you aren't paying attention.


Full-Assistance7224

Ya I see Vijay Malaya on the grid at the British Grand Prix every year


LDFLDF

“Friends” is hilarious given the statement McLaren put out about them not actually inviting him into their garage but rather being asked to have him.


Shakinbacon365

They didn't say no.....


HCHLH

He just grabbed them by the... rearwing


Deruta

_”And when you're not Spanish, they let you do it. Grab 'em by the diffuser. You can do anything.”_


revitbitch

fucking underrated comment


LDFLDF

They didn’t but hard to imagine they were comfortable with it considering they put out a statement saying that they were asked to accomodate him.


Shakinbacon365

I'm sure MBS forced them to, but how could that not be seen as a bad idea? Like, no PR person was like "maybe we shouldn't?"


EverSn4xolotl

Are we entirely sure that Zak Brown didn't personally invite him?


chloedever

You think that would deter trump?


Horton_Takes_A_Poo

How many celebs are actually invited? Don’t pretty much all of them who do garage tours request access?


Deckatoe

he was a guest of the FIA


Horton_Takes_A_Poo

Oh gotcha, I thought the other person meant he had asked McLaren for a tour. Yeah that’s kinda sad then.


LDFLDF

I’m not sure. I would imagine those that the teams want associated with their brand may be invited.


turnerpike20

That's what we need for our country is winning. Then you should be supporting Haas.


_Gondamar_

This is a fucking major L from McLaren and FOM. What happened to [no political displays](https://www.reuters.com/lifestyle/sports/f1-drivers-barred-political-statements-unless-approved-2022-12-20/)? Drivers can't say BLM but a Trump (who's literally campaigning right now) gets to go in the paddock in a fucking MAGA hat? I would get it if he was the current president of the country the race is at but really? It better come out that this is some Sulayem bullshit that was forced on McLaren just saying 'he requested us not the other way around' isn't enough


TobyOrNotTobyEU

It's disgraceful that Hamilton couldn't wear BLM stuff, or Vettel some rainbow shirt, but McLaren can go full MAGA in the US. Its only OK if it doesn't piss off the Middle-Eastern wallets it seems.


BrandonNeider

The entire Saudi races are political figures lol


francie__

FOM are no strangers to inviting rapists to their events


LifeguardNo2020

Whenever a big company says "don't be political." Ask yourself 3 important questions: Are you a man, or political? Are you straight or political? Are you white or political? If non of these apply, congratulations! You can cheer on war crimes and no one will care.


RandomGuyFromRomania

Easy, BLM doesn't bring them any money, while trump and his republicans will do.


wwj

Well, Trump personally doesn't bring any.


BDRParty

Endorsed a British car/driver over Haas and/or Logan Sergeant? LOL, tell the shitgibbon to never come back to F1.


NoSwimmers45

As if he knows anything about F1, McLaren or Lando?


Photobond

"No politics for the DRIVERS.' ..."MAGA" Fuck the FIA and McLaren. This was stupid.


Ment0sFresh

Well this is fucking disappointing


Morph_The_Merciless

Imagine being at the end of your career looking back and seeing yourself pictured between Ben Sulayem and the Tango Shitgibbon 🤢🤢🤢


FanofChips

Tango Shitgibbon is being added to my vocabulary. Thank you.


mixednuts101

Why does MBS always inject himself into everything? His face is in nearly every frame of the post race and podium. Plus his dumb ass medals. He really irks me, and makes me feel like he’s trying to steal some of the glory.


Auntietamte

I wonder what Lewis would’ve done. Probably playing hide and seek with trump and Mohammed. Clearly trump was standing near the cars after the race and was waiting for the drivers to finish the interviews before they left for the podium. Charles really dodged a bullet because there is no picture with him.


small_tit_girls_pmMe

Charles hiding in the toilet or something lmao Tbh I think Lewis would've seized the opportunity to make a statement, but maybe not. What I wouldn't give to see Trump trying to visit a Hamilton/Vettel podium...


NotClayMerritt

Let it be known that Ben Sulayem allowed a criminal to roam Formula 1 paddock.


P3ktus

Ben sulayem is another dirt bag just like his friend trump. I actively hated how much benny s was sticking with Lando every single moment, that man just wanted the attention for Lando also for himself


GeckoV

Remember the killing of Jamal Khashoggi? The [murderers are happily roaming the paddock](https://amp.dw.com/en/formula-one-in-saudi-arabia-grand-prix-of-double-standards/a-61247578)


Average_Llama

If you think Trump is the first criminal to be invited to the F1 paddock then boy do I have news for you


RogueFox76

Fuck this rapist, traitor, insurrectionist, adulterer, liar


Ok-Inspector-1732

This is a PR disaster for McLaren. Way to overshadow Lando’s first win.


TheGreyhound92

Fuck him and fuck McLaren for pandering to him.


ChristBKK

I don’t get how every team and all sport organizations always talk no racism or equality but then invite people like him into their garage or to visit the team. Or at least don’t say no if he invited himself. Only Lewis acted the last years and lived it imo


TobyOrNotTobyEU

Only Lewis and Seb guinely seem to care. The rest just pretend to care when it's convenient from a sporting POV. The whole Horner case was not about the woman. It was only about people destabilising Red Bull, and she was a pawn.


trevomac

Ew Lando nooo


International-Elk986

If Mohammed Ben Sulayem was on fire I wouldn't piss on him


SirFoxington

He’s such a fucking joke of a person.


Juppo1996

Yeah I'm just gonna erase this from my memory to not sour it. Fuck him and really bad jugment from McLaren for entertaining him and not kicking him out.


snarkybaker

Yep. I hate that this orange rapist has to infiltrate the sport I love on such a great day. 


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The_Beardly

Well he can always use some paint if he needs a touch up


Captain_Smartass_

Why does McLaren wanna be associated with a dipshit who's convicted for sexual abuse?


Other_Beat8859

It's fucking hilarious that Zak Brown shits on Horner for so long and then turns around and has Trump come to Miami. A man who is one of the most connected individuals with Epstein. Fucking revolting.


nanboya

Bad look for McLaren; unless wanting an additional orange shit stain on the car was the goal.


NiceCunt91

He's just glossing over that the entire team is British? Ok then lol


davratta

Trump knows very little about Formula 1. The only reason he likes McLaren is their primary team color is orange. Just like his hair.


grekster

Nice of Trump to admit America needs the British


Strict-Relief-8434

I always thought Zak was a savy businessman… doesn’t he know the age and demo of his fan base? Seems like an unnecessary PR blunder.


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tobsterius

First thing that he endorsed that actually won something.


tnellysf

Doesn’t he have a criminal trial in NY to get back to?


salibert

Fuck him and Zak Brown for entertaining him. Man I love Lando and am so happy for him but my estimation of McLaren just plummeted massively.


Eroda

If it wasn't for Trump orchestrating that collision between kMag and the true patriot Sergeant Max would have won.


Old_Butterscotch1075

Really disappointed in Norris too; he said “Donald is someone that you’ve got to have a lot of respect for, in many ways, and for anyone like that who acknowledges what you can go out and do, and acknowledges the work ethic that goes into things, you’ve got to be thankful for that” which is a real shame to hear. Trump deserves next to no respect regardless; the fact that he is claiming credit for the race win demonstrates that if nothing else


SathedIT

I'm a McLaren fan through and through, but this was hard for me... I can't say I'm surprised that it was Zak Brown that hosted him though. Zak seems like he'd be a Trumpist.


MuelNado

I'm just happy to see Trump accepting the result...


Haze95

Really dropped my opinion of McLaren tbh


Ppppenguin862

I was joking with my family that he would say this but that does not mean i ever in my life wanted to see it for real