Speed and Noah Lyles are inseparable. Just 90 days ago in Paris, the 27-year-old impressed the world with his victory in the manic 100m event final. Four days later, he even preferred to run in the 200-meter event final than sit at the corner because of having COVID. While his raw pace was enough to keep him on the leaderboard, that wasn’t the end. In September, Lyles cherished the presence of pace differently. 

During the US Open final, Noah Lyles appeared in the audience box to enjoy the women’s final event. And can you guess who sat beside him? Sir Lewis Hamilton! In the stands of Flashing Meadow, the duo was seen sharing a light moment. Now, in November, the Olympian had another chance to propel his bonding with speed that too, in the Formula One garage. But the racing fans didn’t just sit back and take it. Rather, they pointed fingers at some comments made by Noah Lyles in the past. 

Noah Lyles shows up in Ferrari’s backyard

The Las Vegas Grand Prix is all set to roll on November 23 with the scheduled final race. Before that, on November 21 and 22, the race had the qualifying rounds where Charles Leclerc made his place in the provisional grid, representing the Ferrari camp; Carlos Sainz also earned his. The duo will be seen on Saturday taking the guard against eight other drivers in the race. But before entering the penultimate event, the Ferrari camp may enjoy an added positive vibe. Reason? On November 22, Noah Lyles stepped into the camp to taste the atmosphere, accompanied by his fiancée, Junelle Bromfield. 

The shared media revealed that the couple took a stroll in the eminent garage of Ferrari. The officials of the Red Speed Giant also met them in the camp and introduced them to the drivers. However, Noah Lyles was in no mood to miss a chance to pose with the fast car drivers; he took no time to stand with Antonio Giovinazzi and Charles Leclerc to extend the fun. The drivers displayed a similar mood. In the meantime, the six-time world champion saved a few moments to promote the energy drink Celsius. While the hours seemed to be purely entertaining for them, a few things didn’t fall into place for the racing fans, who vented their dissatisfaction on Instagram. 

Racing fans remember the ‘world champion’ jibe

Noah Lyles’s dig at the ‘world champion’ title of the NBA winners is still chasing him. Last year, after his victory at the Budapest World Athletics Championships, he opened his attack; in a press conference, Lyles had mocked, “You know what hurts me the most is that I have to watch the NBA Finals and they have ‘World Champion’ on their heads,” further adding, “World champion of what? The United States? Don’t get me wrong, I love the U.S. at times, but that ain’t the world. That is not the world. We are the world. We have almost every country out here fighting, thriving, putting on their flag to show that they are represented. There ain’t no flags in the NBA.” The comments fueled the debate, and Noah had to face a chunk of criticism, but he didn’t stop there. 

This year, the athlete failed to recognize Nikola Jokić, arguably the best international player in the current NBA crop. Eventually, in the Night Cap show, Noah said, “I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know who that is.” That raised the flame of debate, and the racing fans remember Lyles’s words. In the comment box, one fan wrote, “No. lmao. U know he dont watch no sport but track, dawg tried to speak on NBA but aint know who Jokic is meanwhile he made those comments the same year dude won a chip with the nuggets. Even said in his interview with Shannon he don’t know no other sport other than track 🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️🤦🏽‍♂️” This argument points at Noah’s comment made in the Night Cap show.

Noah Lyles had no idea about Jokić’s accomplishments playing for the Nuggets, so, his lack of knowledge about different sports may keep him less informed about Formula One as well. That led to another user remarking, “Does bro know what F1 racing is?” However, in September, the Florida native did share space with Lewis Hamilton in the US Open final. So, things may not be that critical, but the “world champion” jibe still lives. One F1 enthusiast raised this topic by commenting, “World champions of What??? The USA?” It is the exact word Noah once used to criticize the NBA Finals winner. But the criticism didn’t stop there, with another user asking, “Where is @ishowspeed ?”

On November 6, Noah Lyles defeated the streamer in a friendly 50m race. But with the days passing by, IShowSpeed has claimed several things that hindered him in the race. In one such moment, he said, “I drove three hours, tight legs. I had tight cramps all around me. He had 30 minutes to exercise and warm up. He had his own spikes. And he had his own gear. He had the right gear.” As per him, there could have been a chance for him if he had been availed of similar facilities as Noah had. In the interaction, the social media icon said, “It was a close race. I was only one step behind. And I feel like if I would have stretched and learned technique, I’d be more steps ahead.” So, bringing in IShowSpeed’s name hinted at the mindset. Nonetheless, another fan proceeded without a filter as they wrote, “I hate this guy.”

The debate is still chasing the fastest man in the world. What are your thoughts on it? Share in the comments below.