Respect My Gangsta: Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button

Here's a little glimpse inside the life of a Formula One driver, as provided by Johnnie Walker and Vodafone McLaren's two stars.

Tail Report: F1 Girls

Those who know me know that I'm a rarity among Americans: I'm a huge fan of Formula One racing. F1 has innumerable advantages over other types of motorsports—even NASCAR. F1 has better drivers, better technology, faster cars, more challenging circuits, and on and on. But of all the many things that Formula One excels at, there's one area where it can never be surpassed: groupies. Beautiful women from around the globe flock to races, especially when the events are held at the some of the world’s more glamorous locations—Monaco, Singapore, Montreal, Sao Paulo, etc.

This past weekend’s race was held in Valencia, which is basically Spain’s Miami. And Red Bull (the same company that gives you something to mix your Jager with happens to fund and operate what is currently one of the most successful teams in the sport) decided to throw a little party at a rooftop pool bar. The following pictures are some of the many reasons why I dream of the day I get a job with an F1 team.

November--the New Black History Month?

Sometimes we, as Americans, forget that historical events are not restricted to within our borders. They can happen anywhere, even if our collective attention isn’t there to bear witness. Before a monumental vote took place in the U.S. on November 4th, another significant moment in Black History took place in Brazil on November 2nd.

That day in Sao Paulo, England’s Lewis Hamilton became not only the youngest, but also the first Black man to ever claim the title of Formula One World Champion.

Many of my fellow Americans do not know who Lewis is. They may only vaguely know what Formula One itself is. But while millions of people in our country love and follow NASCAR racing, billions of people around the world love and follow Formula One. Call it the auto racing equivalent of American-football vs. soccer-football.

Lewis Hamilton—outside of the U.S.—is a star. He’s a 23 year old phenom with blazing speed on the track. His first career victory came last year in Canada, which was only the sixth race of his rookie season. He very nearly won the championship in 2007, losing by one point in the final race of the season. He has quickly become a media magnet, appearing in magazines and newspapers around the world (yes, even here in the United States). His girlfriend is Nicole Scherzinger—lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. He has even walked a fashion show runway. And now he can add “World Champion” to his rapidly-growing resume.

Congratulations, Lewis. Maybe one day next year you’ll be invited to the White House to meet President Obama. It certainly would be an interesting departure from the U.S.-England photo ops that we have become accustomed to seeing in recent years.