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via Imago

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Just like the inaugural Miami GP last year, this year’s race weekend turned out to be quite the starry affair. Among the biggest A-list celebrities to make their way to the paddocks was former tennis sensation, Maria Sharapova. Turns out, Masha wasn’t there just to have a good time and entertain herself by witnessing some on-track action. She met with women who have made a name for themselves in F1 and was part of a talk hosted by WSJ. Later, Lewis Hamilton too reiterated his commitment to diversity and having more women in the F1 workforce while revealing his role in his upcoming Hollywood passion project.

Hamilton is currently working as a co-producer on an F1-based movie. The film will have Brad Pitt playing the protagonist, an F1 driver. Left impressed with his work in Top Gun: Maverick, Hamilton roped in Joseph Kosinski to direct the movie. Brad Pitt is currently practicing for his role by driving an F2 car provided to him by team Mercedes.

Maria Sharapova and Lewis Hamilton push for diversity

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Maria retired from professional tennis in 2020, but her commitment to women’s participation in sports has only grown. What is heartening to see is that she is taking along women from F1 and other sports for a collective push. Out there in Miami for the race, she attended an event organized by WSJ and met with Susie Wolff (former Williams development driver), Lindsey Vonn (legendary skiing olympian), Naomi Schiff (F1 journalist), and Sarah Harden (CEO of Hello Sunshine).

Posting pictures from the F1 Accelerate Summit on Instagram, Maria wrote, “Miami!! A morning spent with powerful, smart & beautiful female leaders changing the sports industry one stiletto step at a time. Thank you for having me @f1 #WSJ #f1accelerate.”

Lewis Hamilton appeared for an interview with ESPN around the same time and gave an update on his upcoming movie. During the talk, he too revealed his commitment to diversity and women’s participation in the movie and in F1. His role in the movie, he revealed, was limited to pushing for diversity and women’s participation.

“Formula 1 as it should be in the future because we’re working towards being a more diverse and inclusive sport. More women should be involved here. So, in the movie, you will see more women in the roles they should be in. You will see people of color that are also involved in it. So, it’s going to be great,” he told.

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No wonder Maria was cheering for Lewis when she was there in the paddocks. What was even more fascinating was that she had access to his garage.

Sharapova showed off Mercedes’ $150,000 weapon

Masha was there in the Mercedes garage with her fiance Alexander Gilkes. To be specific, in Lewis Hamilton’s garage. Standing outside the entrance, she posed behind one of the most essential parts of an F1 car.

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That part was the front wing of the W14. A front wing, worth around $150,000 according to racing-nerds.com, is responsible for the downforce and maintaining the balance in the front of the car. Maria also posted a video of Lewis rolling out from the garage to take to the track.

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The outing, however, turned out to be a disappointing one for her as her favorite driver failed to finish on the podium. But surely it must have been a great experience watching the live-action unfold in front of her eyes.