F1, FIA and Mercedes condemn racist abuse aimed at Lewis Hamilton after British GP
Hamilton was targetted on social media with racist messages and posts following his British Grand Prix win
Hamilton won his eighth British GP but was the victim of racist abuse online following the race
Joe Portlock - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes have released a joint statement condemning the racist abuse targetted at Lewis Hamilton following Sunday’s controversial British Grand Prix.
On the opening lap of the race, Hamilton collided with title rival Max Verstappen at Copse resulting in a high-speed accident for the Red Bull driver. Hamilton was sanctioned with a 10-second time penalty but went on to win the race in spite of the penalty.
Post-race, Hamilton was subjected to racism online across multiple social media platforms. In the statement, all parties made clear that those who had targeted Hamilton with the abuse were not welcome as fans of the sport.
“During, and after, yesterday’s British Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was subjected to multiple instances of racist abuse on social media following an in-race collision,” the statement said.
“Formula 1, The FIA and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team condemn this behaviour in the strongest possible terms. These people have no place in our sport and we urge that those responsible should be held accountable for their actions.
“Formula 1, the FIA, the drivers and the teams are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport, and such unacceptable instances of online abuse must be highlighted and eliminated.”
McLaren, Aston Martin, Williams, AlphaTauri and Red Bull joined in and condemned the abuse Hamilton received, echoing the statement from F1.
“While we may be fierce rivals on-track, we are all united against racism,” the Red Bull statement said.
“We condemn racist abuse of any kind towards our team, our competitors and our fans.
“As a team we are disgusted and saddened to witness the racist abuse Lewis endured yesterday on social media after the collision with Max. There is never any excuse for it, there is certainly no place for it in our sport and those responsible should be held accountable.”
The abuse also follows a torrent of racist posts targeting members of the England football team following the Euro 2020 final with Italy.