‘I don't know whether I'm going to be invited back' – Comedian given death stare after bodychecking Lewis Hamilton at F1
Whitehall accidentally bumped into Hamilton moments before Sunday's thrilling race, while attempting to mingle with the drivers on the grid walk.
4
4
4
Hamilton was walking behind George Russell and Lando Norris, on their way to start the rainy race.
While Russell and eventual winner Norris passed through the cordoned off walkway without any problems, Hamilton was stopped in his tracks by Whitehall coming out in front of him.
The comedian had been signalled to quickly pass through by a Mercedes team member, before almost body-checking the seven-time world champion.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Whitehall said: "Just now when I was being invited to the grid I nearly body-checked Sir Lewis Hamilton.
"I don't know whether I'm going to be invited back again, it was a very cold stare."
The Bad Education star, who took his mum along to Silverstone, speculated that his icy reception may have been payback for past jokes about Hamilton.
Whitehall added: "Maybe that was for the jokes I made at F1 75 as well and not just the body-check.
"My mum is very excited to see Martin Brundle, and I brought her with me. She said that he is her hall pass, whatever that means...'
Whitehall and Hamilton have met several times before, including on The Graham Norton Show seven years ago.
Despite the pre-race chaos, it didn't affect Hamilton in the early stages at Silverstone.
After qualifying fifth, the 40-year-old moved up a place after overtaking ex-teammate Russell on the opening lap.
Max Verstappen initially kept his lead from the start, ahead of McLaren stars Oscar Piastri and Norris.
The Aussie driver soon got ahead just as rain started to fall heavily, but was handed a 10-second penalty after stewards said he drove erratically during the restart after the first Safety Car.
Piastri was penalised for slowing too much when preparing to lead the pack away following another Safety Car restart, while a spin for Verstappen moments later saw the Dutchman drop backwards.
As conditions changed and drivers started to switch to slick tyres later on, Piastri served his penalty during his final pit stop and Norris took the lead.
Nico Hulkenberg, 37, took his first podium finish at the 239th attempt - setting a new record for the longest time before finishing in the top three - after a strong race for Sauber.
The German managed to keep Hamilton 's Ferrari at bay in the closing laps as Verstappen came home fifth.
Meanwhile, Norris would later leave Silverstone with a cut on his face after a cameraman fell on top of him as a fence collapsed during his celebrations.
4
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Legal challenge over Wimbledon expansion set to be heard at High Court
A campaign group's legal challenge against plans to almost triple the size of the Wimbledon tennis site is set to be heard at the High Court on Tuesday. Save Wimbledon Park (SWP) is challenging the decision by the Greater London Authority (GLA) to give the green light to the All England Club's proposal to build 39 new courts, including an 8,000-seat stadium, on the former Wimbledon Park Golf Club. Planning permission for the scheme was granted last year by Jules Pipe, London's deputy mayor for planning, who said that the proposals 'would facilitate very significant benefits' which 'clearly outweigh the harm'. Debbie Jevans, chair of the All England Club, said at the time that the proposals would deliver 27 acres of 'newly accessible parkland for the community', and would allow the qualifying tournament for Wimbledon – currently staged at Roehampton – to be held on-site. But campaigners say that Wimbledon Park, a Grade II*-listed heritage site, is subject to similar protections as the green belt or royal parks and that allowing development on the site would set a 'dangerous precedent'. SWP's lawyers are set to argue that the GLA's decision failed to take into account the implications of 'restrictive covenants' on the use of the land, and that the development would cause 'deliberate damage'. The GLA is defending the legal challenge at a two-day hearing before Mr Justice Saini, which is due to begin at 10.30am at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The plans were first submitted to both Merton and Wandsworth Councils, with the park straddling the boroughs, in 2021, three years after the All England Club bought out golf club members with the intention of developing the land. After Merton Council approved the plans, but Wandsworth Council rejected them, the Mayor of London's office took charge of the application. Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan then recused himself from the process in 2023, having previously expressed public support for the development. The plans attracted opposition from Fleur Anderson, the Labour MP for Putney, and Richard Rees, who was previously the lead planner for the building of Wimbledon's Court One and the development of 'Henman Hill'. Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Christopher Coombe, a director of SWP, said: 'If this decision by the GLA is upheld and the development goes ahead, the detrimental impacts on our environment and delicate ecosystem will be devastating. 'Our community has given massive support to the campaign over four years, desperate to stop the loss of open space intended for public recreation. 'This is not just in SW19; it's happening all over London. Once built, it is gone forever, and there is very little local trust in an organisation that prides itself on fair play, but then breaks its word. 'We all love the Wimbledon championships, but don't believe the proposal is really about protecting the future of the world's best tennis tournament. 'We will continue to press (the All England Club) to reconsider their fighting stance towards our community and to join us in finding a resolution that we can all get behind.' A spokesperson for the All England Club said: 'Our proposals will deliver one of the greatest sporting transformations for London since 2012. 'They are crucial to ensuring Wimbledon remains at the pinnacle of tennis, one of the world's best sporting events, and a global attraction for both London and the UK. 'On offer are substantial year-round benefits for our community and the delivery of significant social, economic, and environmental improvements. 'This includes more than 27 acres of new public parkland on what is currently inaccessible, private land. 'Our plans will increase the size of Wimbledon Park by a third and create spaces for people and nature to thrive. 'There will be a very significant increase in biodiversity across the site and our proposals are underpinned by more than 1,000 hours of ecological surveys, which are endorsed by the London Wildlife Trust. 'We have spoken to more than 10,000 people as part of our consultation events, and we know that the vast majority of people just want us to get on and deliver the many benefits on offer.' A GLA spokesperson said: 'The Mayor believes this scheme will bring a significant range of benefits, including environmental, economic, social and cultural benefits to the local area, the wider capital and the UK economy. 'It will create new jobs and green spaces and cement Wimbledon's reputation as the greatest tennis competition in the world. 'An application has been made for the court to determine this matter, and it is therefore inappropriate for the mayor to comment further at this stage.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
The fisherman aesthetic: anglercore is everywhere – but does it suit me?
It was, in the end, a fashion trend awaiting better weather. Now that summer is here, the 'fisherman aesthetic', long heralded as one of the key looks for 2025, has finally arrived. Or has it? Standing on the beach at Hastings, with a stiff wind blowing into my face, I am adding one layer of fishing gear on top of another while holding my fisherman's hat on my head, gently overheating under a hazy sky. I'm not sure this is what Vogue had in mind when it predicted that 'the menswear customer will take to water, embracing the 'fisherman aesthetic'' earlier this year. I can't see anyone else on the beach embracing it. Then again, I can't see anyone else on the beach. These early predictions have now hardened into a mantra. 'What started as a humble nod to weathered knit sweaters, sturdy boots and utilitarian outerwear has turned into a full-fledged movement,' declared lifestyle website The Velvet Runway. 'Practical gear like rainboots, work jackets and canvas totes abound,' said Cosmopolitan. 'Less yacht club, more fishing dock,' said InStyle. By the end of March, Veranda magazine felt able to confirm that 'the fisherman aesthetic now reigns supreme in both fashion and interior design'. However, when you investigate the origins of fisherman chic, it quickly becomes clear there are two main branches to the trend. The first is more of a general nautical vibe than a uniform: striped tops, baggy khakis, boat shoes, cable knits. The Daily Mail cited 'the naval-inspired looks on the recent runways of Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Proenza Schouler' as sources for the trend, said to be an offshoot of the 'coastal grandma' look (no, me neither) from a few years ago, which was largely confined to women's fashion. It's beach-friendly, casual and understated (Diane Keaton in the film Something's Gotta Give is apparently an inspiration for it). People dedicated to showing you how to get the look on TikTok are at pains to point out that you may well own most of the stuff already. The second strand, what might be termed the male version of fisherman chic, comes at it from another direction, specifically fly-fishing. New York menswear boutiques such as Blue in Green have been selling out of the multi-pocketed fishing vests favoured by anglers. According to the Washington Post, outfitters catering to fly-fishermen have recently seen revenue boosted by sales to men who don't fish, but are keen to adopt a look the paper dubbed 'anglercore'. Where these traditional outfitters might once have been pleasantly bewildered by all the extra online traffic, the industry is catching on. Streetwear brands and angling companies have begun collaborating on outdoor clothing lines. Last autumn, the Canadian rapper Drake, through his Nike brand Nocta, produced an actual fly-fishing reel in collaboration with Abel Reels. Where the womenswear strand of fisherman chic seems to be more about inspiration – using a nautical theme as a jumping-off point – the menswear seems more like direct occupational appropriation – literally buying the stuff real fishermen use. As the stylist and fashion writer Peter Bevan sees it, the authenticity of the gear is the point of this angler aesthetic. 'If, say, Gucci did a fishing jacket, and they bought that one, it's almost like them faking it,' he says. 'When it comes to workwear, men just like to buy into the proper brands that do it and the real type of workwear, rather than anything that feels manufactured.' There is an inverted aesthetic at work: in most cases the clothing is purely functional; it has no style per se, only a kind of perceived integrity. The Japanese workwear brand Montbell uses the slogan 'Function is beauty', which is one way of saying: this stuff looks this way for a reason. Fly-fishing vests, for example, are often cropped weirdly short, but that's not a style – it's so the pockets don't get wet when you're standing up to your ribcage in a river. And they aren't covered in pockets because pockets are cool; it's because anglers need storage for all the kit they carry into the water. 'You're using floats, you might use sinks, you've got spools of nylon,' says Mark Bowler, editor of Fly Fishing & Fly Tying magazine. 'You've got a dry fly box, you've got a nymph box, you've got a lure box. You'll have scissors, forceps, nips. You've got numerous tools, almost medical, dangling off the waistcoat. You might have a hook retriever in there …' There is an obvious irony to this extreme functionality, in that few, if any, of the influencers wearing fly-fishing vests on the streets of Brooklyn will ever use the garment for its intended purpose, or even know what that is. '… You've got leaders, sight indicators, magnifiers, your sandwiches,' says Bowler. 'You might have a water bottle in the back of it, because it's got pockets at the back. There might be scales in there for weighing fish, or tungsten putty.' On the beach in Hastings, I am having a certain amount of trouble rationalising the two branches of the fisherman aesthetic. My jacket would suit weather more foul than I'm likely to encounter all year. Meanwhile, the Schöffel fly-fishing shirt I'm wearing looks like something Nigel Farage might go canvassing in, only it's made of a lightweight, quick-drying polyester. Who knows? Maybe his is too. There is, of course, something immediately satisfying about wearing a technical garment; it bestows a certain sense of competence and expertise all by itself. The Wensum fly vest by Farlows – a British outfitter established in 1840 – has four capacious pockets on the front and a swatch of shearling wool just below the right shoulder which, it turns out, is for hanging your flies on. The Ayacucho Trailblazer vest has no fewer than 10 pockets, and also – somehow – repels mosquitoes. 'Some include a life vest as well,' says Bowler. 'So if you fall in, the waistcoat explodes.' This is a lot of technical overkill for a fashionable piece of streetwear. Even without the capacity for inflation, it would be difficult to find a use for 10 pockets on dry land. But that, I know, is not the point – these things are fashionable because they are technical. In many ways, we have been here before. Workwear, with its utilitarian shape and built-in sense of purpose, is a perennial fashion favourite. Brands such as Carhartt and Dickies have made a fortune selling blue-collar style to men who can't change a plug. And the fisherman aesthetic is nothing new: the Aran knit was Vogue's celebrated jumper of 2015 and fisherman's scarves, hats and oilskins were big items in 2016. GQ declared fly-fishing 'the next wave in menswear' back in 2019. Bowler recalls an even earlier collision between fly-fishing and fashion, when Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler wore feathers in his hair during a stint as an American Idol judge. The long rooster feathers he chose were also used by the fly-tying industry. 'Everybody wanted them,' says Bowler. 'And we couldn't get them because all the suppliers were being rung up by hairdressers saying, 'Look, we'll pay anything for them.'' News of the current fashion for angling gear has also reached Bowler, although he is not exactly persuaded. He doesn't see a future in which he treats angling gear as a look to be seen in. 'You know what, Tim? When I go fishing, the last thing I want to see is another person.' However, he has noticed that even the most technical gear is becoming more fashion-conscious. 'You'd find it hard to look stylish in waders,' he says. 'But even waders are becoming more fitted, in lighter materials. They used to be like PVC with wellies on the end, and now they're kind of a fitted, breathable material. You actually attach boots to the bottom of them and they have a belt, you know, which gives you a bit more shape.' Indeed outfitters, including Montbell, produce chest-high fishing waders you might feasibly wear to a gallery opening. Another Japanese clothing company, South2 West8, is known for producing stylish gear that will also serve you well on the river. Although if I owned a £358 fly vest (currently on sale at £250), I don't think I'd want to get it wet, especially when you can buy a 'real' vest from an angling supplier for as little as £25. Could an interest in the clothes, as the Washington Post dares to suggest, eventually foster a corresponding interest in fly-fishing? Could the gear lead the hipsters to the sport? Bowler has seen nothing to support that notion. He acknowledges that while angling has a higher profile these days (thanks, in part, to Paul Whitehouse and Bob Mortimer fishing on television), an interest in fly-fishing is not the same thing as fly-fishing. 'The number of fishermen – it's not booming,' he says. 'It's dwindling, in fact.' It's the same story on the sea. In the 1980s, Hastings boasted a fishing fleet of more than 40 vessels, but the ones I'm using as a backdrop for my fashion shoot are reputedly among the last five or six still regularly working. It would be a shame if, in 10 years' time, all that people know about fishing is the clothes. While the nautical movement and the fisherman aesthetic may be two distinct trends, independent and coincidental, they do have one thing in common, and it ain't fishing. Both looks are essentially about wealth. Fly-fishing chic, with its checked shirts, waxed Barbour jackets and old-fashioned gear, mimics the relaxed vibe of the landed gentry. Like the coastal grandma trend that is said to have spawned it, the fisherman aesthetic is really an attempt to appropriate moneyed understatement. 'I think fashion is generally obsessed with wealth recently,' says Bevan. 'There was stealth wealth, the old-money aesthetic, quiet luxury, equestrian-inspired womenswear collections. It feels like one side of this is an extension of that.' Essentially the two looks project the same vibe: tell me you're rich without telling me you're rich, even though you're not actually rich. Even that isn't the whole story: walking back from the beach, through Hastings Old Town, I am suddenly struck by the number of men my age – tourists, mostly – wearing fly-fishing vests. And they're not doing it ironically or because they genuinely aspire to the angling life, or because they're trying to project quiet luxury. They're doing it because they like pockets.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Civilisations returns with unprecedented access to the British Museum's collection
At a moment when we all fear the civilisation-threatening power of pandemics, autocracy and technological transformation, Civilisations: Rise and Fall, produced by BBC Studios, examines why four famous and mighty civilisations in the past found themselves on the brink of disaster, and how the art and artefacts they left behind hold clues to explaining their fate. Each programme looks at the rise of a different great civilisation and explores the factors that led to its decline. From Ancient Rome to Cleopatra's Egypt, via the samurai of Japan and the lost world of the Aztecs, audiences will discover rare and beautiful art and artefacts from each culture. All objects that feature in the series are in the British Museum thanks to behind-the-scenes access to spaces most visitors never see. These artefacts take us to very particular moments of civilisational transition, as societies confronted upheaval and endured radical change in a bid to safeguard their own futures. Across four episodes, interviews with experts, key academics and curators are combined with bold drama-reconstructions to follow the clues in these treasures that explain why each culture fell from power, and whether these relics can help us understand the risks we face today. Contributors include Dominic Sandbrook from The Rest is History podcast, artists Antony Gormley and Edmund De Waal, co-host of The Rest is Politics podcast Alistair Campbell, Radio 4's Making History presenter Iszi Lawrence and academics and authors including Camilla Townsend, Mark Ravina, Shushma Malik and Salima Ikram. Featured artefacts from The British Museum's world-famous collection include the double-headed serpent of the Aztecs, the Meroe Head of Augustus, a mummified crocodile from Ancient Egypt and a newly acquired set of samurai armour from Japan. Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts and Classical Music TV, said: 'A new series of Civilisations is always a significant moment for BBC Arts and this incarnation feels particularly timely in our own uncertain age. With unprecedented access to the British Museum's collection, Civilisations: Rise and Fall makes the case that museums are more relevant than ever: they are repositories of human memory, time-capsules – a crucial way for us to understand the past and how we might ensure the future of our own civilisation.' Dr Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the British Museum said: 'We were delighted to collaborate with the BBC for the landmark Civilisations series, and bring some of the most incredible objects in the British Museum's collection to the forefront in telling these global stories. I hope the series captures the imagination of young and old alike, and that we engage whole new audiences with our collection – a collection which shows how history connects us all, something which is now more relevant than ever.' Alexander Leith, Executive Producer, BBC Studios Specialist Factual, said: 'It's a great privilege to be making the next iteration of the Civilisations brand – especially in such close collaboration with the British Museum. The remarkable artefacts they hold offer astonishing points of connection with these past civilisations, and the factors and fault lines on which their fortunes turned – many of which feel disarmingly relevant to our own world. The Civilisations The Fall of Rome When new Roman emperor Honorius ascends to the throne in 395 AD he inherits a system of government that's built one of the most remarkable civilizations in history. For over 400 years the Roman Empire has ruled a vast territory that crosses three continents and encompasses a multitude of peoples and languages. Keeping this disparate whole together is a massive challenge, but decisions taken by Honorius' predecessors have opened up alarming fault lines within the system. Now a series of shocks and threats are colliding in a perfect storm that will see the weakened city of Rome fall to foreign invaders for the first time in 800 years. The Last Days of the Ptolemies in Egypt In 51 BC Cleopatra becomes Queen of Egypt – and Pharaoh – amid a crumbling dynasty plagued by infighting, betrayal, and political chaos. She navigates a treacherous web of family rivalries and Roman interference. Determined to preserve Egypt's independence, she forges bold alliances with Julius Caesar and later Mark Antony, two of Rome's most powerful men. Her reign marks both a last stand for the Ptolemaic dynasty and the dramatic end of three millennia of Pharaonic rule in Egypt. The End of the Samurai in Japan 1853 CE. For centuries, Japan has been cut off from outside influence. In that time the West, and much of the rest of the world, has made extraordinary leaps forward in science, industry and military technology, while Japan remains a feudal medieval society. At the heart of this feudal system are the samurai – warrior knights funded by the state. But when giant American steamships arrive on Japan's shores, the days of the samurai are numbered. The Collapse of the Aztec Empire 1519. Under the strong leadership of Emperor Moctezuma the great Aztec civilization reaches its zenith. The jewel in the crown is the beautiful island city of Tenochtitlan built in the middle of the lake Texcoco, a melting pot of extraordinary arts and culture - home to some 100,000 people. But Moctezuma's empire is fragile. He relies on ritual wars, gathering tribute and maintaining social and religious order through slavery and sacrifice. In doing so he has tightened his grip on the largest South American empire the world had ever seen - but he has made many enemies. The arrival of the Spanish in 1519, under Hernan Cortes, will prove disastrous for the Aztecs. Civilisations: Rise and Fall is a BBC Studios Specialist Factual Unit production for BBC Arts, with BBC Studios handling global distribution. The Executive Producer is Alexander Leith, the Series Producer is Tony Mitchell, and the Production Manager is Emma Hyland. It was commissioned for the BBC by Suzy Klein, BBC Head of Arts and Classical Music. The Commissioning Editor for the BBC is Alistair Pegg. Founded in 1753, the British Museum was the first national public museum in the world. The collection tells the stories of cultures across the world, from the dawn of human history, over two million years ago, to the present. Objects range from the earliest tools made by humans and remarkable finds from the ancient world to more recent acquisitions from Africa, Oceania and the Americas, the Middle East, Asia and Europe, as well as the national collections of prints and drawings, and coins and medals. BBC Studios Specialist Factual Productions is a bespoke unit making premium output in the history, art, music and culture space. The work is underpinned by journalistic rigour and specialist knowledge, bringing together diverse voices to ignite conversation and challenge preconceptions. Recent titles include the Grierson Award winning Inside Our Autistic Minds, the RTS winning Fight The Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World with Public Enemy's Chuck D, the true crime / natural history hybrid The Great Rhino Robbery and cold war thriller Secrets and Spies: A Nuclear Game. AM2 Follow for more
