It may seem like an odd time to be doing this, but there is never much time off for the F1 journalists of the world. However there are also times in life when one needs to make time, so I am taking the next 10 days off in order to go on honeymoon. I will be back on February 15.
joeblogsf1 
Well earned, have a great time.
Just a thought, what about your Autocar page, I am looking forward to it, Each Week!
Thanks for the tip Tony, I shall have a look for those.
Have a wonderful time, Joe. You deserve a break.
Congratulations Joe! Have a great, well deserved break.
Many congratulations. I hope you both have a wonderful time of peace and tranquility and chance to savour Vuelta Abajo’s finest products.
Joe – Congratulations would seem to be in order.
At least you don’t have to spend your Honeymoon at Disneyland Paris as my wife and I did two Christmases ago – serves us right for being together for twenty years and having a daughter who was six by the time of the Wedding!
I could recite It’s a Small World by heart by half way through the Hoeymoon.
All the Best
Good for you. Enjoy the time off
Congratulation Joe and Mrs Joe. Have a great time.
Congrats. Enjoy. Look forward to your return.
Congrats!
I hope that the first ten days are only the beginning of a lifetime honeymoon!
Congratulations and enjoy.
Pfffft part-timer. ;o)
Congratulations Joe, for all of your tireless work you deserve a break. I look forward to all the great coverage when you get back.
Congratulations Joe + missus!
Congratulations, have a wonderful time !
Congratulations!
Congratulations Joe and partner! I hope you both enjoy the break.
We’ll all be here when you arrive back, enjoy the rest.
Bon voyage, looking forward to reading what you made of Cuba, and congratulations to you both!
Congrats Joe! Best wishes.
Many congratulations and apologies for my know-all comments on Senna becoming a Force India driver. I look forward to your return. Have a wonderful time!
Knowing Joe, he and his bride will be touring such historic sites as the Bay of Pigs, the Escambray Mountains, etc…
Have a very nice time there Joe.
Enjoy your honeymoon, Joe. Though one must wonder how often you’ll not be able to stop yourself looking at the testing results.
Well done – have a great honeymoon! We’re thinking of you here in rainy, snowy, foggy, France…….
Congratulations Sir.
Congrats Joe!! You deserve a break… we look forward to your return. See you at Malaysia.
I will do that if Air France ever get round to getting an aeroplane that works. Fours hours late. What a bunch of w@*kers. This is why I never use them.
Following the report of the AF447 Flight which crashed in the south atlantic, I have banned all my family from flying with them. They have the worst safety record of all EU airlines. Even Aeroflot is better.
I was going to wait until he got back before telling him that! But yeah, I thought the same thing. Having become an avid reader of a well-known pilots’ forum in the last year or two, Air France is the last major airline I’d ever fly on. Happy honeymoon, Joe!
Are you sure you’re not going just to check on the rumours of a soon-to-be-resurrected street circuit in Havana?
Anyway, congratulations to you both – have a great time 🙂
I will drop in at the Hotel Lincoln. Quiz: why is the Hotel Lincoln in Havana famous in racing circles?
Is that where Fangio was held while he was kidnapped?
Wild stab in the dark: Is that where Fangio was kidnapped from in the cuban GP many years ago?
Have a great honey moon!
Fangio?
I’m sure others beat me to it — and I can’t believe I sort of know this — but wasn’t Fangio staying there when he was kidnapped?
Congratulations and enjoy your break
Must be something to do with Fangio being kidnapped
It’s where Fangio was held when famously kidnapped – can’t remember which room number (and Google would be cheating) but I hope you requested it when booking 🙂
Hotel Lincoln was built in 1926 and located just a few steps from Havana’s Malecon seaside promenade, this is where Juan Manuel Fangio, the greatest racing car driver of all times was staying at the time of his kidnapping back in 1958.
Room 810 has been preserved as it was during Fangio’s stay, and is open to hotel guests for visits.
No, i didn’t know.. Googled it 🙂
Fangio was kidnapped!!!
Joe – congratulations to you and your new wife, wishing you both all of the best for the future.
Fangio was briefly a guest in ’58, non? I add my congratulations.
It’s where fangio was kidnapped
Easy peasy… that’s where Fangio was kidnapped by Casrto’s rebels in 1958.
Sorry, Castro’s rebels… and congratulations, Joe.
Aha! It’s where Fangio was held hostage when he was kidnapped at the Cuban Grand Prix.
Congratulations Joe. I trust any kidnappers you meet remember Fangio and treat you with the same respect!
Best,
Milt
Joe, was that the place where Fangio was held hostage forcing him to miss a Grand Prix? I can’t remember which year or which GP, I just have a feeling (which could be completely wrong!)
Where he was kidnapped. He was held in private houses.
Congratulations Joe, havhe Hotel Lincoln was where Fangio was kidnapped.
Guessing that’s where Fangio was held when he was kidnapped???
That is where Fidel Castro kidnapped Juan Manuel Fangio while he was in Cuba for a race in 1958.
The answer is in “When politics and racing collide…”
February 16, 2011 by Joe Saward
I remember you writing about this the other year! A good chance for everyone to go through your blog’s archive.
Are you staying in room 810?
Congrats and have a great time!
Fangio’s kidnapping started there.
Where Fangio was kidnapped?
kidnapping?
Is that where a certain famous driver was held hostage?
Fangio was staying there when he was kidnapped by the reds
Juan Manuel Fangio was kidnapped there 1958.
Congratulations, Joe! Was the Hotel Lincoln the site of Juan Manuel Fangio’s abduction?
The Fangio kidnapping, and it’s from your wonderful article a few years back that I know this. 🙂
Congratulations to you both, I hope (Air France permitting) you both have an utterly wonderful time. See you back on the 15th.
Fangio was kidnapped there in 1958 just before the Grand Prix.
The night after the kidnapping, guards were assigned to the hotel rooms of all the racing drivers.
Stirling Moss was kept under guard throughout the night with a watchman knocking on the door every three hours to make sure he was still in his bed. “It was a very disturbing night,” he recalled. “Fangio told the rebels, `You mustn’t take Stirling because he’s on his honeymoon’ – which was a lie of course, but nevertheless was very decent of him.”
Fortunately, the kidnapping ended well and Fangio never held a grudge against the rebels and even kept in touch with them after the ordeal.
Is it the hotel where they kept Fangio …..
It’s where Fangio was kidnapped prior to the 1958 Cuban Grand Prix (non world championship). Have a great honeymoon, and thanks for the column
I know this without resorting to Google! It’s where Fangio was staying when he was kidnapped……Congratulations Joe, enjoy your break
I assume that’s where Fangio was held.
Wasn’t it the hotel that the kidnappers held Fangio captive?
It was I believe where Fangio ended up having a bout of Stockholm syndrome back in the 50s.
Enjoy (and never fly Air France)
I suppose that’s where JM Fangio was taken from when kidnapped by fellow revolutionaries in 1958.
enjoy your trip to Havana, and many congratulations to you and your companheira (I hope to be doing the same in about a year).
Congratulations to you both.
Hotel Lincoln? Must be where Chavez had his recent ops.
Congratulations! Have a real nice time.
We wish you all the best; have a great time. My parents (Jeffrey) had their honeymoon in Havana during April 1948. We hope to see you at Montreal in June.
Your friends in Chicago,
Jeffrey Simon & Marilyn Nance
It sounds like congratulations are in order!!!
Hey Joe and better half, Eau-Canada here, wishing you all the best!
Enjoy your time in Castro-land, there is some great architecture and culture to be shared with a loved one in Cuba!!
And the answer to the quiz is that Fangio was kidnapped there by rebel forces in 1958 and was released unharmed…they used to ahve some great racing there…once…
All the best and congrats to both!
Ah, the story of Eau!
Ah yes indeed! What a “memorable” day that was, the media tent was put to a serious water test!! Histoire d’O…wasn’t that a show in Vegas by our very own Cirque du Soleil…?? Hoipe you’re enjoying Havana…and the missus, too! 😉 Cheers
That’s where the rebels kidnapped Fangio.
Congratulations, this and the job at the oldest car magazine in the world!
Ah yes, I remember that incident well where Juan-Manuel Fangio was kidnapped by two gunmen in the lobby of the Hotel Lincoln in Havana on 23 February 1958 prior to the Cuban Grand Prix. He had been captured by supporters of Fidel Castro in an attempt to have the race cancelled and to embarrass the regime of Fulgencio Batista. Fangio was held at three different locations, allowed to listen to the race on the radio and was eventually released unharmed after 29 hours.
Have a wonderful honeymoon in Cuba Joe!
Congratulations – have a great trip!
Fangio stayed there at the time of his kidnapping. Whether he was taken from his room, I do not know.
Congratulations and have a nice honeymoon.
Fangio was kidnapped from that hotel in ’58.
Congratulations, Joe!!!
Fangio was kidnaped from there in 1958 (OK, Google told me!)
Have a great time Joe.
Joe, wasn’t that the hotel that Fangio was kidnapped from?
One good thing about being British is that you can actually go to Cuba. Not so much us Yanks. I’ve always wanted to go.
Time to re-run the great Fangio kidnapping story when you’re there, Joe 🙂
Many congratulations Joe – hope you and your good lady have a fabulous honeymoon.
Google is my friend . . . . .
Source: http://www.andrewbrel.com/havana/
(In Havana) On the Malecon….the sea wall – looking across toward the Nacional Hotel.
The Malecon was the location in 1958 of the Batista sponsored Cuban Grand Prix, where legendary Argentinean champion driver Juan Manuel Fangio, one of the Worlds most famous personalities at that time, was seized at gunpoint from the lobby of the Hotel Lincoln, by Castro revolutionaries to prevent him competing in the race, thereby legitimising Batistas government.
As it happened, the race was stopped after 15 minutes when a cuban driver Armando Garcia Cifuentes, 27, lost control – ploughing into the crowd (150 000 lined the Malecon that day)causing enormous carnage .(40 casualties, 7 dead.) Cifuentes, who barely survived the crash, was charged with manslaughter.
Stirling Moss in his Ferrari, leading at the time was declared the winner. Fangio was released unharmed the same day, apparently sympathetic to his abductors cause.
. . . . Those were indeed the days!
Congratulations Joe, and bon voyage
That was where Fangio was stayimg when he was kidnapped.
Congratulations, have a wonderful time.
Good for you…
Will you ask the missus two questions for us?
1. Can we see a snap of her smiling face?
2. What’s her secret for putting up with you? 😉
Congratulations Joe!
Congratulations Joe. Looking forward to meeting you in Melbourne.
I just looked up the Hotel Lincoln question. Great story. I’ll leave it for others to discover.
And, like others, let me add my congratulations.
Have a lovely time in Cuba and enjoy your honeymoon. But from my knowledge of past blogs, you’ll probably go looking up obscure race tracks from years gone by, or the house Fangio was held captive in. (I wrote this before I read the reply above!) Congratulations are in order, both for you and Mme Saward.
Congratulations, now get off the internet and enjoy the next 10 days !
Well deserved Joe. Congratulations and enjoy the time with your bride!
Congrats, enjoy yourselves and have a great time!
Have a great time Joe. That Cuba exit sign looks very much like Cuba, New Mexico not far from me. Hope you are going to the island instead.
The hotel page says: ‘It is known for being the place where Jaun Manuel, the famous racer, stayed at the time of his kidnapping, and his room has even been preserved to this time.’
Congratulations!
Juan Manuel Fangio that is.
Fangio was kidnapped there. Congrats Joe!!!!!!
Quiz: Why is the Hotel Lincoln in Havana famous in racing circles?
Answer: Fangio was kidnapped by Cuban independence rebels, including Fidel Castro.
Congratulations Joe! Enjoy the honeymoon!
P.S. Love the blog and keep up the good work (after ten days)!
All the best, congratulations and enjoy the break!
Cheers
JF
Congratulations to you both, enjoy your honeymoon
fangio was abducted there? 🙂
Fangio was kidnapped from that hotel.
Have a nice time!
Its where they kidnapped Fangio back in 1958
Congratulations Joe. Wishing you both to have a great time.
Was that where Fangio was kidnapped from in the 1950s? Or well they hid him when he was kidnapped?
Congrats! In answer to the Hotel Lincoln question – is it where Colin Chapman now lives? 😉
With Elvis. And Shergar.
Congratulations Joe! Have a great trip!
Congrats Joe!!! Tip: No photos inside the airport, unless you’re willing to get to know Cuban Inspectors quiestionnaires….Also: While in Havana ask for the “Paladares” (informal restaurants)…and brace yourself before getting to know from first hand the Cuban reality that is not advertised to rest of the world ….
Congratulations!
And well-timed to avoid the silly-season climax:-
Armchair afficionados falling over each other to highlight the ‘best’ teams at Jerez, based on disparate testing programmes.
Roll on, Melbourne.
Congratulations to you both, you definitely deserve us time, best wishes.
Very best to you both, congratulations! Safe journeys. ~ j
I would expect some pics of fine Cuban maintained vintage American autos upon your return.
Congratulations! But pray tell, why Cuba?
Hello? Cuba is beautiful and full of wonderful proud people and for you to even ask this question I have to assume you must be from the united states. I must emphasize that one of Cubas best qualities is the lack of Americans!
Cuba is not without problems.
Hmm, when rolling up for the first practise of the year, you can casually brush off the silly stories clamouring to distract you, with a “but *I* won 2013 already”. Well, journalistic – private WDC anyhow, WCC, maybe we’ll hear! Seriously, to any lonely rabble out there, heck the lot of us, actually, get re-reading Joe’s entry about his stay over the Monaco weekend. _That’s how to do it, boys! 🙂
You’ll probably only see this when you get back, so I hope you had a good time!
Congrats Joe. Look forward to the “road-trip” write up.
Congratulations to you both, and have a wonderful honeymoon.
Congrats Joe I wish you and your lovely bride all the best! I’m 39 and have been married for 13 years now and it’s been more exhilarating than a Grosjean first lap.
Cheers,
Kristopher
Marriage is much like a Grosjean race; most of the action happens immediately at the start before settling down into a predictable rhythm. Unlike sportscar races though, you’re not allowed to swap around half way through.
I am sure that Romain will be delighted with the description.
Congratulations Joe, Hope you have a great time.
Congratulations and best wishes to you both, have a great time.
Congratulations and best wishes to you Joe.
felicitaciones perro rabioso y señora, el triunfo de la esperanza sobre la experiencia, como Wilde diría, pero eso es ser cínico como siempre … no te pierdas un mojito en el malecón y trate de visitar Dónde Heminway olvidó cómo escribir ..
Congratulations Joe and Mrs Saward. Enjoy your time away.
Congratulations. Enjoy the trip both, long hard season ahead.
Wonderful news. Congratulations Joe
Congratulations Joe, obviously not the time to remind you of what Sacha Guitry said…. OK, just for the fun then…..
“dans la vie il y a deux sortes d’hommes: les célibataires et ceux qui n’ont que ce qu’ils méritent”….
In english for your readers “In life there are 2 kinds of men: Bachelors and… those who only have… what they deserve” 🙂
Wish you all the best!
Congratulations sir!
Congratulations!
Please hurry, I’m getting sick of all the stories churning out of “Our car is instantly awesome, we are in a good position” news releases
Congratulations have a great break.
Congratulations to you both. Do not spend too long looking at the American classic cars !!!
A lot of people are presuming you married a woman. Just saying.
Poor research. I live in France and such things are still not legal. Anyway, I have just checked…
Hearty congratulations. Have a wonderful time.
Congratulations Joe. Watch the sun! 🙂
Here’s the kidnapping described in detail by the great man himself in his own words, from about 2:18. http://youtu.be/7q3eaQxaraQ
Why didn’t they do this for Indy F1 Race?
http://www.indystar.com/article/20130208/NEWS/130208035/Indianapolis-Motor-Speedway-seeks-state-aid-up-100M-improvements
Congratulations Joe!
Hurry up back 🙂 or will have to read James and f1 (stolen) news 🙂
Please come back – we miss you!
It is difficult to sustain my anticipation of the upcoming F1 season without your excellent insights : )