Metro Blog - Will the move away from McLaren bring maturity for Lewis Hamilton?

Recently we have been seeing and hearing a lot of Lewis Hamilton in the press and sadly this is not wholly down to an increased number of wins in the Formula One championship. That ever-present new form of sharing news and opinions, social media, seems to be a new tool for him to vent his feelings. For someone as passionate and perceptive as Lewis, Twitter is not working as the channel to express himself.

For someone who has advanced into one of Formula 1’s driving greats already, he needs to bring that maturity into the rest of his career as a driver. Having been behind the wheel since he was eight years old he has been under the watchful eye of McLaren for the past 14 years with backing from the company going back as far as his karting days at the age of 13. He still remains the youngest ever world karting champion.

To read the full blog please go to my Metro page HERE.

A Tourist in London - Part II

Several more journeys on the muggle wagon into our great capital and I am still surprised, no shocked by the behavior of some of the commuters.

I'm not talking about children or groups of teenagers or those decidedly younger than myself, I am referring to adults, those that come with the title of maturity and 'should know better'. However, common decency and politeness escapes some as soon as they enter the underworld of the tube system. Like hamsters in a plastic environment of tunnels and ladders, we scuttle about in droves on a mission to get back to the surface, to the daylight. And it appears apparent that each and everyone of them is on their own journey with an agenda and therefore no one else can get in the way or distract us from the path.

I have come to understand the etiquette of travelling in the city and so pick up my copy of the Metro and where possible take a seat and read. No eye contact is made, no pleasantries exchanged. There was me thinking that this is what everyone does but how wrong was I and how behind the times I really am. Pulling out the newspaper on the train seems to becoming something of the past. As I sat in a packed compartment four of the South West Train to Waterloo I was the only person with a paper or generic printed material publication. Everyone around me either was reading from an ipad, watching something on their tablet or frantically writing an email on the smallest laptops I have ever seen. What has happened in the last year? I have clearly missed out on this transformation.

I understand technologies are advancing and being adapted into our lives but it will be a sad day when no one is reading a book or paper or magazine and instead is plugged into the latest gadget. Clearly I am still a tourist and have a lot to learn!

Metro Blog - What kind of legacy has Lance Armstrong left for cycling?

After the year of sporting events we have seen not only in the UK but across the world we should be in a period of jubilation and have an ecstatic sense of pride towards our athletes and teams. But sadly I feel there is a dark cloud currently hanging over it all.

Like me, there are hundreds of millions of sports fans all over the world, each with their own preferences and opinions, favourite teams and idolised athletes. We believe in them, support them and urge them to win. We cry with them, get into heated debates for them and are there through it all. So when I previously wrote the article What happened to innocent before proven guilty for Lance Armstrong? I had an allegiance to one of my favourite sportsmen. Up until this time there had been varying opinions from many, results that couldn’t prove without any doubt and statements that were coming under fire. I believed him, wanted to believe him and felt strongly in my opinion that those who are up against matters of this kind should still be treated as innocent until proven guilty.

To read the full blog click HERE.