Following Sunday’s British Grand Prix, Mercedes, Formula One, and the FIA issued a united statement condemning online racial abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton.
Following his collision with opponent Max Verstappen on the opening lap of Sunday’s British Grand Prix, Hamilton, 36, was singled out.
Verstappen was transported to a hospital after a 190mph shunt that registered at 51G. The seven-time world champion executed a great comeback performance to win his seventh race on home soil at Silverstone.
“After an in-race crash, Lewis Hamilton was subjected to many instances of racist abuse on social media during and after yesterday’s British Grand Prix,” the statement stated.
Formula One, the FIA, and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team all strongly condemn this behavior. These individuals have no place in our sport, and we demand that those responsible be held accountable.
“Formula One, the FIA, the drivers, and the teams are all working to make the sport more diverse and inclusive, and such incidents of online abuse must be recognized and eradicated.”
The only two drivers in contention for the championship, Hamilton and Verstappen, had gone wheel to wheel on the opening lap at Silverstone. As Hamilton attempted to pass up the inside of the fast Copse corner, they collided, causing the Dutchman to crash. Despite the fact that Hamilton won despite getting a 10-second penalty for causing the incident, the Red Bull team and Verstappen were furious after the race.
“Lewis is a seven-time world champion, and that was an amateur’s mistake and a desperate one,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner added. We were really fortunate that no one was seriously hurt. “
Verstappen, who was brought to the hospital but later released, remarked on Twitter, “Very disappointed with getting taken out this way.” “The penalty isn’t helpful to us, and it doesn’t reflect the risky action Lewis took on the track. It is impolite and unsportsmanlike to watch the festivities while still in the hospital, but we must go on.
Reference:https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jul/19/formula-one-condemns-online-racist-abuse-lewis-hamilton-british-grand-prix
