First time in F1, I didn’t feel alone in the face of racist abuse

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BUDAPEST, Hungary – For the first time in his Formula 1 career, Lewis Hamilton said he did not feel alone after experiencing racist abuse online and thanked rival teams and drivers for offering their support after the British Grand Prix.

Hamilton suffered racist abuse on social media after colliding with title rival Max Verstappen at his home event and winning the race. Social media company Facebook confirmed that it removed the racist comments from its Instagram photo-sharing platform on the Monday following the race.

The 36-year-old Mercedes driver was targeted online hours after the victory, with racist messages including monkey emojis sent in response to a post from his Mercedes team on Instagram.

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Formula 1, the FIA ​​and the Mercedes Hamilton team issued a joint statement condemning the abuse, which was then followed by a message from the Red Bull team in Verstappen.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton, the only black driver in F1, said he appreciated the support he had received in the sport.

“What I would say is it was amazing to see the support from the sport, from my team and from some of the drivers,” he said. “I felt for the first time that I was not alone in the sport, because for the other years, the 27 years that I was running, no one would ever say anything.”

Hamilton referred to the progress the sport has made since his first year in 2007, when he suffered racist abuse from spectators in the stands of the Spanish Grand Prix.

“When it happened in 2007, nobody ever said anything,” Hamilton added. “So it was really amazing to see the steps we took.

“There is no room for this abuse. But if I’m going to be the recipient of it in this industry for people to take notice, then it’s part of my journey, that’s why I’m here.”

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