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Kamala Harris has revealed she is a fan of Lewis Hamilton and was sharp in her rebuttal that her passion for Formula One was a “campaign thing.”
The Democratic candidate for US president is now less than a month away from election day as she looks to beat Donald Trump in the race for the White House.
F1 has surged in popularity in the United States in recent years, with Netflix’s Drive to Survive a factor in an increase in interest stateside. The US also now has three races a season, in Miami, Austin and Las Vegas.
And speaking to broadcaster Howard Stern on radio channel Sirius XM this week, Harris said of F1: "It’s so good - we love it, our whole family does."
However, when asked if her fandom for F1 was a “campaign thing”, the US vice-president was firm in responding: "Oh, god no! I haven’t been able to watch it a lot recently because I am campaigning. Also, depending on where they are driving, the time of day."
When asked who her favourite driver was, Harris replied: "Lewis Hamilton, of course." British driver Hamilton is a seven-time F1 world champion, who is joining Ferrari from Mercedes next year, something Harris had knowledge of.
When Stern then admitted he doesn’t “even know who that is”, Harris replied: “He’s leaving Mercedes. You should see it [F1], you might get hooked, it’s good stuff.”
Harris’ opponent Trump was present at the Miami Grand Prix in May and was hosted by McLaren CEO Zak Brown before the race. Trump also congratulated the winner, McLaren’s Lando Norris, after the race.
The next race in the 2024 F1 season is in the US, with the Circuit of the Americas in Austin hosting the United States Grand Prix on 18-20 October.
The US did lose their only driver in August, however, when Logan Sargeant was axed at Williams in favour of Argentine driver Franco Colapinto.
Meanwhile, Trump has declined the opportunity for another TV debate with Harris before the 5 November election.
Trump insists “there will be no rematch” on Fox News and the Republican candidate has also turned down an invitation from CNN in recent months.
