Lewis Hamilton subjected to racist abuse after winning British GP at Silverstone as Max Verstappen crashes out
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Updated 19/07/2021 at 08:30 GMT
Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton boosted his title hopes with victory in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on Sunday after title rival Max Verstappen crashed out on the first lap. Hamilton was subjected to racist abuse on social media after the result and Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes have condemned those responsible.
Lewis Hamilton
Image credit: Getty Images
Lewis Hamilton has been targeted with online racist abuse after winning the British Grand Prix.
Mercedes driver Hamilton won the race for the eighth time after Max Verstappen crashed out on the first lap. The crash came after a collision between the two title rivals and Hamilton was given a 10-second penalty for the incident.
Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes released a joint statement condemning the abuse directed towards Hamilton and called for action to be taken against those responsible.
The statement read: "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.
"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 eliminate."
Facebook, who own the Instagram platform, also released a statement condemning the abuse and said they have taken action to remove offending comments.
"The racist abuse directed at Lewis Hamilton during and after the British Grand Prix is unacceptable and we've removed a number of comments from Instagram.
"In addition to our work to remove comments and accounts that repeatedly break our rules, there are safety features available, including Comment Filters and Message Controls, which can mean no one has to see this type of abuse."
Hamilton has spoken out against racial inequality and took a knee before the British GP at Silverstone.
The racist abuse comes just a week after England trio Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka were targeted on social media after missing penalties in the Euro 2020 final shootout defeat against Italy.
Hamilton was criticised for his actions during the race by Verstappen and Red Bull boss Christian Horner.
Verstappen, who was taken to hospital after the first-lap crash, branded Hamilton “disrespectful" for his celebrations at the end of the race.
“Watching the celebrations after the race while still in hospital is disrespectful and unsportsmanlike behaviour but we move on,” Verstappen wrote on Instagram.
The F1 season resumes with the Hungarian Grand Prix in two weeks’ time, with Verstappen holding an eight-point lead over Hamilton at the top of the drivers' standings.
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