Taking a break from his legal escapades, Donald Trump stirred up some excitement at the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, the former US president choosing McLaren as his port of call.
With cameras flashing and the crowds opposite the outfit’s garage buzzing with chants, probably more in awe of the spectacle than anything else, the Don – whose complexion and hair blended in nicely with the team’s papaya – struck a few poses as he mingled with McLaren boss Zak Brown
Naturally, this sparked a bit of a brouhaha. People scratching their heads, wondering why on earth F1 and McLaren were rolling out the red carpet for Trump.
But fear not, folks, McLaren swooped in with a clarification faster than a pit crew changing tyres. They made it crystal clear: this wasn't about politics.
“McLaren is a non-political organisation however we recognise and respect the office of President of the United States,” raed a statement from McLaren.
“So when the request was made to visit our garage on race day we accepted alongside the president of the FIA and the CEO’s of Liberty Media and Formula 1.
“We were honoured that McLaren Racing was chosen as the representative of F1 which gave us the opportunity to showcase the world class engineering that we bring to motorsport.”
So, just a cameo from the man who knows how to make an entrance, whether you love him or love to hate him.