Ah well, maybe Aussies are not bad after all

Dear Daniel Ricciardo

Idon’t like Aussies. There really is no valid reason for this. I just don’t. I reckon it’s probably because they have had the wood over South Africa on sports fields for so long. We have also had our moments of triumph – the recent cricket Test series win is a case in point – but we have more often than not been on the receiving end. And that rankles.

The same applies to Manchester United and their supporters. I just can’t stand them. Again, being an Arsenal supporter, my dislike for anything from the red half of Manchester probably has to do with the fact that they are so bloody successful. Similarly, I dislike Capetonians, because they live in a stunning part of the world where, unlike in the Big Smoke that is Joburg, everything works.

There are, of course, exceptions to this general rule. My father was born in Manchester and is a staunch United supporter, and I love him. I also have many good friends who are United fans, and I get on just fine with them. In fact, I have a couple of friends who are born-and-bred Capetonians AND United fans, and they are great guys.

I have family members who live in Cape Town. Although all Joburg-born, they are converted Capetonians and love the city in which they live. And, like I do my dad, I love them.

I’m not a huge F1 fan but because

Guy Hawthorne

I’m recovering from surgery and am largely confined to the couch until I’ve healed sufficiently, I spend a great deal of my time watching sport on the box.

The Monaco Grand Prix has always fascinated me, more because of the location than the race, and on Sunday I settled down to watch the race and take in the sights and sounds of Monte Carlo.

I decided even before the drivers set off that you, Daniel, are a nice Aussie – an exception to my general rule.

You had been robbed of a certain victory in the corresponding race in 2016 through a late pit stop and had dominated practice and qualifying to secure pole position on Sunday. Watching you in the Red Bull pit garage before the race, smiling and singing along to whatever was playing through your headphones, immediately endeared me to you and I decided I would root for you.

When you radioed your pit from a healthy position out front to say you had lost power – 25% it emerged after the race – my heart sank. That tenacious rottweiler Sebastian Vettel was hot on your heels and holding him off looked virtually impossible.

But hold him off you did, remaining calm under what must have been extreme pressure to take the chequered flag and I found myself cheering, for an Aussie, nogal.

I realised in that moment how dangerous generalisations are. Just like all politicians are corrupt, there are Australians and, indeed, Manchester United supporters and Capetonians, who are decent people, deserving of success and happiness.

I just hope there are people out there who feel that way about Arsenal fans. We are generally not a bad bunch and also deserve to bask in the glow of triumph, hopefully in the coming season under new manager Unai Emery. Pretty please ....