In a Thursday Press Conference, nobody can hear you scream. Like the infinite void that is space, a Thursday press conference isn’t about entertainment. It is however about different publications being able to extract information from drivers by asking questions – even if a lack of invention causes such questions to usually warrant an uncomfortable, deadpan, broad answer from the drivers.
Like that time you got caught on your phone in the workplace/classroom, Hamilton hasn’t been received well for spending most of the conference on Snapchat. A few journo’s at the conference (we think, otherwise why so enraged?) haven’t seen the funny side, and believe that Hamilton has acted very disrespectfully by “lookin at hiz fone” throughout the interrogations.
I agree, the FIA press conference format is static, but you can't defend this. pic.twitter.com/yBRoXBymkA
— Ben Hunt (@benjhunt) October 6, 2016
Think the world champion could have ditched the phone and concentrated a little harder for the benefit of the huge Japanese audience https://t.co/P6NjHNZsam
— Kevin Eason (@easonF1) October 6, 2016
The huge Japanese audience isn’t watching the press conference… A few more will be reading the print, which will no doubt now feature the Hamilton bunny instead of anything substantial. Most of the Japanese fans will be at the circuit or watching the sessions on TV.
This situation is almost the perfect metaphor for social media vs print. You’ve got a load of pissed off accredited media people getting mad at the freedom that social media allows. If it is disrespectful from Hamilton, it’s calculated. Why would he want to play the game after a week of mass criticism? This’ll be an easy one for the anti-Hamilton brigade to get on, which is probably why it’s the most reported story to emerge from the actual press conference.
At least one of the guys in the press conference saw the funny side:
Hey @LewisHamilton no offense but my mum says im the cutest of both 😜 pic.twitter.com/8fwprhH5We
— Carlos Sainz (@Carlossainz55) October 6, 2016
Hamilton also managed to get this pic of Mercedes communications dude Bradley and we think it’s great.
A full report on the content of the press conference will follow. Expect the most open end responses that you’ve ever read and lots of images of Kimi Raikkonen wishing he was elsewhere, Pascal Wehrlein yawning and Fernando Alonso blinking.
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