Lewis Hamilton preps for Austin with “Ellen” appearance (VIDEO)

By Oct 19, 2016, 6:00 PM EDT
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Lewis Hamilton has run the gamut of non-race related notes and appearances this week, ahead of this week’s United States Grand Prix (Sunday, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBC).

On Tuesday, Hamilton confirmed his presence in the upcoming Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare video game.

But on Wednesday, Hamilton took a different line of promoting his latest trip to North America: appearing on The Ellen DeGeneres Show with Ellen DeGeneres.

Far from the usual discussion about setup, points standings and media conferences, Hamilton instead met Ellen to go over shirtless pics, basics of Formula 1 versus NASCAR, and explaining how much he works out and prepares for a weekend on site.

Such banter from the extended version below clip includes:

“It’s what we have to do,” said DeGeneres regarding the number of shirtless pics.

It keeps you in shape but you have to work for it. When I introduce (F1) in America… it’s very physical. It’s around two hours. We pull a lot of G’s,” said Hamilton about the physical exertion.

About the F1 versus NASCAR difference?

“So F1 cars can do over 200 mph. A bit like a NASCAR, but NASCAR as a road car, it doesn’t go round corners well. We can,” Hamilton said.

And about Hamilton’s current relationship status:

“I’m not with anyone,” he said. “I was in a long relationship, almost eight years. Now I’m solely focused on racing, trying to win this championship. I don’t have any plans at the moment.”

You can see the full clip, via Ellen TV, linked below.

IndyCar disappointed by delay of video game but aiming to launch at start of 2024

By Mar 27, 2023, 3:00 PM EDT
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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”