Hamilton Takes First Ferrari Pole in Mexico; Perth Man With a Red Fiat Panda Says He ‘Always Knew Red Was Faster’
Lewis Hamilton starts tonight's Mexico City Grand Prix from the front. In Perth, a 2009 Panda has been washed in his honour.
A red racing car. Not a Fiat Panda, though you'd be surprised. Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, “2024-08-25 Motorsport, Formel 1, Großer Preis der Niederlande 2024 STP 3912 by Stepro”, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Lewis Hamilton has taken his first pole position for Ferrari at the Mexico City Grand Prix, and will start tonight’s race from the front of the grid.
In Perth, the news was greeted with joy by a Craigie man who has driven a red Fiat Panda since 2009. “Everybody laughed at me,” he said. “They said red cars don’t make you faster. Well. Who’s laughing now? Lewis is. And me, a bit.”
He said he had washed the Panda and parked it on the drive facing the road “so it looks ready”. Neighbours confirmed it had not moved.
Formula 1 fans in Perth plan to watch the race tonight, although many admitted that the main thing they would be watching is the clock. “Mexico City is six hours behind us,” said a fan from Scone. “So I’ll be up past my bedtime watching a race that’s happening in the afternoon. It’s like being on holiday, but with a duvet.”
The Perthetic wishes Hamilton well, and reminds Perth drivers that the Inveralmond roundabout is not a chicane, whatever it looks like.
The real story: Formula 1 (BBC Sport)
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My red Panda also has a lot of power at the start. Then it goes up Kinnoull Hill and has a think about it.
— Ian S., Bridgend, 1 November 2026 -
Brilliant for him. My son has a red Fiesta and now thinks he’s on the grid every time the lights change on the Dunkeld Road.
— Jen R., Scone, 1 November 2026
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