Hamilton blasted for snubbing London F1 Live event

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Lewis Hamilton won't be attending Wednesday evening's F1 showpiece event in London, and the decision hasn't gone down well with fans.

On the eve of this weekend's British Grand Prix, Formula 1 will be showcasing the sport with a special event held on the streets of London.

All the teams have lent their cars and drivers, not to mention their enthusiastic support, for the live demo run from Trafalgar Square along Whitehall, an event which Liberty Media has been working on for months behind the scenes.

And reigning world champion Nico Rosberg will also be on hand to promote the sport which brought him fame and glory.

London gets live pre-Grand Prix street demo

F1's owners Liberty Media apparently only learned yesterday through social media of Hamilton's absence, when the Mercedes driver tweeted that his was on a two-day break.

With the entire F1 community coming together for the event, the absence of one of the sport's biggest names will unfortunately be very noticeable.

Not helping Hamilton's cause is a video posted by the three-time world champion just an hour after his first tweet showing him partying with friends on holiday.

As usual however, it will all blow over by the time everyone gets to Silverstone and the thrilling three-way battle at the front between Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas resumes.

Let the racing to the talking...

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.