21/04/2020
NEWS STORY
On a day that Prince Harry and wife, the Duchess of Sussex, announce that they will no longer work with British tabloids, the most infamous of them all proves exactly why they are held in such low regard.
"Pubs Shut Till Xmas," proclaims the headline, which is splashed across a picture of a pint of beer that covers almost the entire front page.
In a small bubble, added almost as an afterthought, are the words "596 dead... see page 4", as the Rupert Murdoch owned 'newspaper' demonstrates its priorities in terms of the coronavirus.
Over the weekend, Lewis Hamilton hit out at the paper, following an article on Friday which suggested that his "dream" move to Ferrari had been scuppered by the fact that Sebastian Vettel is increasingly looking likely to remain with the Maranello outfit.
"First off, there is no dream of a dash to another team," declared the world champion in a now deleted post on Instagram at the weekend. "I am with my dream team."
"Second, there's not a thing in my way as I'm not trying to move," he added. "I'm with the people who have cared from day 1. We are the best team! @mercedesamgf1.”
Fact is, the whole Hamilton to Ferrari thing has been media-driven, and while the Briton did meet with Ferrari CEO, Louis Camilleri late last year, it was made clear that it was a social event and nothing more.
However, the media, never ones to allow the truth to spoil a good headline, opted to ignore Camilleri and continue speculating.
Last week, Vettel admitted that he hopes to remain with Ferrari, adding that a new contract might be agreed before the 2020 season finally gets going.