Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Silverstone, 2021

Racist abuse of Hamilton on social media condemned by F1, FIA, Mercedes and rival teams

2021 British Grand Prix

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Racist abuse targeted at Lewis Hamilton on social media following his victory in yesterday’s British Grand Prix has drawn swift condemnation from the sport, the governing body and his team.

Rivals Red Bull and McLaren also issued statements criticising the abuse the seven-times world champion received.

Hamilton was subject to abuse following his victory and opening-lap clash with Max Verstappen, which caused his championship rivals to suffer a heavy impact with a barrier.

Formula 1, the FIA and Mercedes issued a joint statement condemning the abuse Hamilton received, some of which has not yet been removed from social media platforms.

“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,” they 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.”

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Verstappen’s Red Bull team joined the criticism of the abuse Hamilton received.

“While we may be fierce rivals on-track, we are all united against racism,” said the team. “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.”

McLaren said it “stands with Formula 1, the FIA, and our fellow teams and drivers in condemning the deplorable racist abuse towards Lewis Hamilton.

“Racism must be driven out of our sport, and it’s our shared responsibility to unite and eliminate it.”

Red Bull’s engine supplier Honda also issued a similar statement.

Racist abuse of competitors, especially on social media, is a persistent problem in many sports. Last week Hamilton criticised the abuse England football players received after their defeat in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

During the Portuguese Grand Prix weekend the majority of Formula 1 drivers participated in a boycott of social media platforms to draw attention to their failure to weed out racist messages.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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135 comments on “Racist abuse of Hamilton on social media condemned by F1, FIA, Mercedes and rival teams”

  1. Well that’s never ok to make this racial. Not needed either. He’s done plenty to destroy all he has built up. Albon Brasil 2019, Albon Austria 2020 and now Max UK 2021. All similar, all penalised. I cant believe he sunk this low. Why throw away your reputation for an inevitable transition of power? If he just owned up to it and said he was on the dirt side, carried too much speed, got understeer and couldnt avoid it anymore. No, instead he refers to Max racing style etc . Well that will get the public opinion going on you Lewis

    1. So you’re saying that the racist abuse is Lewis’ fault?

      1. Ugh, caught the report button instead of reply. Too much to ask for a ‘are you sure you wish to report’ confirmation?

        As the reply I actually intend to make, there will no doubt be some that see their subsequent abuse of Hamilton as fully justified and fully his fault. That’s how they convince themselves it’s acceptable.

        I don’t think thats what Mayrton was saying, but I also would not be surprised considering the tone of some posts on this forum (Though not this article’s comments) that some of them who’ve posted here are also over on other sites posting the racist abuse.

        1. I agree. There does feel like there’s a subtext to many of the posts, and it’s more than just sporting rivalry.

      2. No, I don’t. I am saying it is never ok to make this racial. And nobody should resort to racial remarks. And I also don’t understand why race is relevant. It is very easy to criticise Lewis given his behavior so why would anyone feel the need to bring in race?

        1. And I also don’t understand why race is relevant

          It’s obviously relevant enough for a subset of the racing community to use it as a pejorative.

        2. @Mayrton It’s relevant because a lot of people consider it worth planning assaults against him (not just isolated “heat of the moment” stuff, but setting up a website to plan attacks).

          (There are also death threats being aimed against both Lewis and Max, both of which carried -ism-based subtext that in some cases was outright text).

      3. Unbelievable, right?

      4. Shouldn’t we be talking about “ethnicism” or something similar. There is only one Human race, and plenty of bad f1 races.

        1. @peartree “Ethnicism” isn’t recognised as a concept; “racism” is (and in the UK, it’s recognised for all axes of ethnic categories).

          1. @alianora-la-canta like disproving “flatearthers” with “astrology”. The name is wrong, it suggests the thing is a thing when it should not.

    2. Sorry mate, not sorry, this is straight up victim blaming. Racism is unacceptable. On any level. Suggesting there is a justifiable reason for it: “Well that will get the public opinion going on you Lewis” is victim blaming. That’s the same as saying something like ‘if he’d not done those things he wouldn’t bet getting racist abuse’.
      Lewis is not responsible for the racist abuse he’s receiving no matter what he has done. I’ll repeat that because it’s the key point: Lewis is not responsible for any racist abuse he receives regardless of what he has done. There is no justification for racism at all. None. Zero. Racism is unacceptable in any context, at any point, and for any reason.
      It’s important to get this the right way around otherwise your thinking on the matter gets clouded. So treat this as a learning experience. It’s very easy to blame the victims even when that’s the last thing on your mind and you feel like you’re helping them. It is totally possible to be doing it and not realise you’re doing it and to think that you’re doing the right thing. It’s such an easy trap to fall in to so it’s important to get it right.
      Learn from this and take a pause and think for a moment before responding, if you wish.

      1. well said

      2. Great comment.

    3. Did you say the same thing to Schumacher and all his driver collisions?

    4. @Mayrton Paying attention to factors involved in a crash generally does get public attention (regardless of how good/bad the take is).

  2. Plenty of hamilton criticism has nothing to do with racism.

    1. No, criticism is fine. But there has been some pretty hefty racial abuse being thrown around on other social media.

      Some of whom will likely be the same ones who did the same following the Euro Final.

    2. Of course, that’s obvious @esploratore1, bit strange you have to write that!
      Hamilton is not above criticism and many of it is completely justified. People are entitled to their opinions.

    3. So what? What’s being condemned by the FIA and the teams is the racist type – plenty of which has been thrown at him since the incident (and which even Red Bull acknowledges to have witnessed).

    4. Criticism isn’t usually seen as criticism by BLM people. Everything is racism in their book.
      Still it’s disgusting to see the racist abuse of Hamilton

      1. Bringing BLM into the issue makes it a racist issue. Can you understand that??

        Those who bring up BLM, or attempt to use it as a slur regarding anything that has to do with Hamilton, are racist.

        That is my opinion.

      2. @wernervonrode BLM (both organisation and hashtag) do distinguish between criticism and racism, even before considering most anti-racists are not part of BLM (I suspect the majority neither know nor care what the BLM organisation does all day because they know it as a hashtag to unite anti-racist people).

    5. @esploratore1 This. It’s not okay to criticize someone just based on their race, but I don’t think that’s the case with Lewis in vast majority of cases. Brilliant racer, just not a great human being, simple as that.

      1. “Not a great human being” You might want to check what Lewis has done to bring him into the bracket of “great human beings”, far more than you I’d wager. What you actually mean is ” I dont like Lewis” so let’s cut the BS.

        1. Just because he does a few good things like charity etc doesn’t make him a good person. Those things are done for publicity. People are talking about his actions on and sometimes off track. If he is as good as you and others think then Lewis who could drive Silverstone blind folded knew that accident was inevitable if he kept his trajectory. The fact the stewards punished him shows he was wrong. The fact the punishment was so lenient shows the stewards are biased

    6. Yeh but, no but, yeh but… what’s the issue with just condemning this? Do you think you might catch something should you say anything remotely in support of Lewis?

  3. We’ve seen the worst side of social media over the last week, with the black England players also being singled out for abuse.

    Twitter, Facebook et al need to be held responsible for such content. It’s the only way of making it stop once and for all.

    Are people so basic that they feel the need to refer to skin colour when criticising someone? Pathetic.

    1. I fully agree yet I also dislike ‘that’s racial man’ being used as an instrument to brush off criticism. Like some dictators call all criticism ‘politically motivated’. Lets be clear Hamilton really went over the line 3 times on a RedBull now. If anything, his team should talk to him saying this is not the way we want to win championships Michael.

      1. “yet I also dislike ‘that’s racial man’ being used as an instrument to brush off criticism.”

        Ok I’ll bite. Can you give some examples of this actually happening in this particular case please?

        1. @john-h one time I remember is when he was having a lot of issues with the car and he suggested it could have been shenanigans having to do with how he looks different from everyone else.

          1. When was this?

          2. Ahhh yes, the Ali G moment. A comment he made in the heat of the moment when he was a young driver, a young driver who had already experienced many cases where he was treated differently because of the way he looked.

      2. Why should they not want to win championships like that? RB and particularly Horner have no problem with Max’s get out of my way or crash mentality. So why shouldn’t Merc and Ham play by the same rules.
        Horner and numerous fans have ridiculed Ham for jumping out of Max’s way rather than crash and applauded Max for his aggression. Some even using Hams discretion as a reason that Ham is ‘passed it’. I think these people seem to forget what Hamilton was like coming up through the ranks, his time in F2 and F1 up until Bottas arrived.
        Given that you are one of those that’s revelled in Max’s aggressive behaviour, I would have thought you would have applauded the return of the old aggressive Ham.

        1. So why shouldn’t Merc and Ham play by the same rules

          ian dearing,

          Who said they shouldn’t. As a fan of the sport, I’m totally OK with Hamilton being aggressive.

          Hamilton and Toto are getting criticised which they entirely deserve for their pathetic behaviours off the track. When Max do those kind of moves, he is aggressive and dangerous. When Hamilton does the same moves and get penalized, he is a sportsman and it’s the other’s fault.

          When any rival is getting closer to them, they get crazy asking for clarification after clarification from the FIA and literally suggesting that they are cheating while when they were circumventing the rules many times in the past, they were bragging about their ability and it’s up to the others doing a better job.

          Hamilton has been exposed by Verstappen this season and he reverted as you said to the old Hamilton when the pressure mounted. Like I said I’m OK with that. The thing is he and Toto should man up and don’t cry about it when Max will treat him the same way and when RBR are doing a better job developing their car.

        2. petebaldwin (@)
          19th July 2021, 12:17

          That’s fine but by saying that, you’re admitting Hamilton is not a cleaner, more respectful driver than Max. People like to claim Max is a dangerous driver but you’re saying Lewis is fine for sinking to his level.

        3. Now thats where it all goes south doesnt it. You actually approve of foul racing in order to win. If thats a cultural thing then ok, I understand you think all is allowed. I’d rather see a sportive fight. Making remarks about Verstappens style is a sign of people living in the past. Two can play that game. Even Lauda called Lewis a lot of bad names in the first years Lewis drove around. Questioning his sanity and all. So if you all want to keep living with 2017/2018 Max you can always prove yourselves right by juist claiming Max is too aggressive. I suggest having a look at recent years penalty points of both gentlemen. But given where you come from I understand you dont make difference between being correctly aggressive and being incorrectly (and thus penalised) aggressive. Lewis clearly does not have Max skill level in 2021. Max has clearly outgrown him, rarely makes mistakes (any more) and will raise his game for the next five years. Lewis however will deteriorate and become another Vettel. Lewis knows this and therefore resorts to foul play. Actually he already did it all those years back with Rosberg. Maybe he always been a bit of a

        4. @mayrton

          Really have I seen such drivel attempting to deflect astoundingly appalling behaviour.

          As for the max can race cleanly and all behaviour earlier far beyond anything since Senna transgression should be forgotten – I mean really?

          Lewis put Max on notice that he will no longer move and drive differently because, you know, it’s Max. If he and his team had half a brain, this would have been seen as just that.

          Instead they and the likes of you wish to reduce a notice as something disgustingly awful.

          It was always going to happen. Max does not have the right to treat the track as his own.

          1. You are exactly proving my point. So it’s ok to bump some one off just to deliver a message. Thanks for the lesson, didn’t know that

      3. ‘Lets be clear Hamilton really went over the line 3 times on a RedBull now.’ How many times has Max crashed into a Ferrari? They’re racing drivers, they drive on the edge, they’re human, they make mistakes.

        1. Please look at the recent stats and penalty points of each driver please. Lewis is not a clean driver

    2. It’s delusional that you can make it stop when people have these beliefs. If you are getting immensely upset by iidiots, then either you need to institute an oppressive dictatorship where you try to silence people with draconian means (which will inevitably be abused to silence people with the ‘wrong’ political views and such, as we’ve already seen) or learn to ignore them.

      The latter solution is more realistic and mature.

      1. Or call them out and publicly shame them with the freedom of speech you want for yourself but apparently I’m not allowed.

        1. @Will Jones

          How am I denying you freedom of speech???

      2. @aapje Unfortunately, as demonstrated in the 10 years prior to 2016, ignoring people with bad takes leads to them getting more powerful and eventually imposing them on sensible people and deliberately or ignorantly harming the world.

        1. @alianora-la-canta

          That’s exactly why I oppose woke people like you.

          In the US we already see racial discrimination, censorship, racial violence, etc.

          1. @aapje So you oppose “woke” people because some “asleep” people deliberately harm others and opposing them is necessary? Illuminating.

          2. @alianora-la-canta

            Yes, the woke advocates are trying to get rid of anti-racism laws and are trying to institute the ‘right kind’ of racism. I very much disagree that there are right kinds of racism and racial discrimination.

            And ‘woke’ doesn’t refer to them being open-minded, but to their acceptance of a very specific ideology. Everyone who doesn’t accept that ideology as a religion, is non-woke.

          3. @aapje Ah, so you don’t know what “woke” and “asleep” mean?

    3. @sonnycrockett Exactly. Sadly, ahead of this news and headline, I had expected this to happen, I suppose somewhat in light of the football aftermath, and with all the vitriol here towards both LH and Max and Horner and Wolff. In the US there is also now outrage at social media for spreading misinformation about vaccinations, that have their numbers climbing again, although that of course started with the damaging rhetoric from their former President. And sure enough it is ‘his’ States that are suffering the most now.

      Unfortunately yes, there are way too many basic people out there. We know that prejudice is learned, generally from a youth’s parents and peers. Babies are not born with prejudice. I feel so lucky to have had parents such that for me I have always thought of skin colour as just a colour, and as well I have not yet met a person that had a say in the colour of skin in which they were born, or how they look, or their gender or sexuality.

      There’s something about the anonymity of social media that allows some people to sit alone at their computer devices and stew and get riled up from a standpoint of lack of education and empathy, and prejudice. And have their ‘equal’ say.

  4. Yes, far too cynical!

  5. Yeah, well there’s my problem with Mercedes. Like dictators claiming all criticism is politically motivated they are using the race card in an PR attempt to stop the criticism. That’s taking positive effects from other peoples racism and feels very dirty to me. It calls for a new word in the dictionary, close to hypocrisy but with a more fouler intent…

    1. Mercedes aren’t playing the race card! All of the teams have made statements condemning the racist abuse Lewis has received.

      Red Bull are the whinging team. Horner and Marko do nothing but complain, even criticising their partners. The abuse they gave Renault, despite that engine manufacturer having helped them win multiple world championships, was disgraceful.

      Max is a fantastic talent but he needs to make sure he isn’t overly influenced by the RB management. He’s too good to play the victim card.

      1. @sonnycrocket

        Mercedes are constantly complaining. Literally after every race where they don’t win (and many where they do).

        Your comments here have clearly shown that you are just a rabid Mercedes/Lewis fan, though…

        1. OK, I’m going to bite:

          I’m a McLaren fan and always have been.

          When Lewis went to Mercedes I was anti-Lewis (out of a childish feeling of having been betrayed) and anti-Mercedes.

          I’ve warmed to Lewis in recent years and am now ambivalent towards Mercedes. I’m not keen on Toto and I don’t like some of the things they say and do but I can apply the same feelings to most teams. RB are my least favourite team for reasons I’ve posted on other threads.

          I really like Max. He’s the best thing to happen to F1 for some time, closely followed by Lando, and I hope he fulfills he potential and becomes a multiple world champion. He has enough talent to define a whole era.

          So to respond to your accusation of me being a “rabid” Lewis/Merc fan: That perception might fit your agenda and that of many other posters on this site but it’s miles off the mark.

          Sometimes people disagree. That’s fine but there’s no need to jump to conclusions about the person you disagree with.

      2. Max has a tendency to use racist terms quite frequently and both Marko and Horner have defended and normalised use of that language on multiple occasions. This time as well Marko and Horner’s rants on various TV channels during the race stoked flames which led to some really bad mudslinging from Max fans including threats to both Mercedes and Lewis about their entry to Dutch GP.

  6. Obviously wrong. Not seen it myself but it sounds very similar to last Sunday. And we later found out the majority of messages came from outside the UK – quite possibly from troll farms etc stirring up division.

    I don’t doubt there’s racism in the UK – there obviously is – but it feels like it’s ramping up almost a bit too suspiciously.

    Ironically any attempts at stirring division aren’t gonna work – watch the F1 community come together now as football did last Monday.

    1. Ironically any attempts at stirring division aren’t gonna work – watch the F1 community come together now as football did last Monday.

      Don’t count on it! The blind hate towards Hamilton in here is reaching new heights lately. The amount of toxic posts are increasing day by day.

    2. @cduk_mugello Alas, it has not happened as I’d hoped it would :(

  7. I was thinking the same thing.

    It’s not cynical at all, since we’ve seen the same play again and again. In the cases where this has been investigated, it inevitably turned out that merely a tiny fraction of the criticism was racist/sexist/etc. But if you ignore the overwhelming majority of sensible criticisms to focus on the few bad apples, you can portray a person as a victim in a black/white narrative.

    You don’t see these organisations react the same way when racist and sexist statements are made against people they dislike, showing that it’s just a convenient way to change the narrative.

    1. There is only one black driver in F1 and there are no female drivers so who are these other people you are referring to that experience the racist/sexist comments that Mercedes and others ignore?

    2. @aapje The “bad apples” have turned out to be a large number, both with the abuse of England players in the Euro 2020 finals and the abuse of Lewis this week (there’s also been some abuse of Max that appears to be racist (on nationality grounds), though it’s harder for me to judge numbers for that because some of the relevant comments on other social media are in Dutch).

  8. Just because racial slurs are used doesn’t mean it’s about race

    Jeez. That’s quite a, er…, ‘odd’ statement :|

    1. Accidentally reported this when trying to report the one above, sorry.

      1. Ok no problem (unless Keith bans me!)

      2. Why the need to report it tho? You can’t stand people having different opinions? Jesus…

  9. Come on guys, you’re being ridiculous now. Even Red Bull made a statement. No one is above criticism, and plenty of it is deserved, but you cannot be serious in this case surely. My word.

    1. Just to add I’ve been very critical of Hamilton this past 24hrs, then you read absolute garbage like this on racefans. Been here since 2008 and never have I read such things. I’m feeling pretty sad by this.

  10. Just because racial slurs are used doesn’t mean it’s about race. If Lewis Hamilton was an obese ginger, the slurs would target that.

    What!?!?!

    Just to confirm, it is NOT ok to throw slurs at people, let alone racial or other discriminatory slurs.

    Jesus.

    1. “Just to confirm, it is NOT ok to throw slurs at people”
      It is not indeed. Who said it was?

      @harrydymond
      “However, racial slurs are not “robust criticism”,”
      Of course they are not. Who said they were?

      “they are lazy and racist.”
      They are lazy, they are rude, they are nasty, they are all kinds of things. But the assumption of them having a deep ideological underpinning is hysterical and naive.

      1. Interesting take. It’s “hysterical” to call using racial slurs racist? This is quite ridiculous. Sorry, this is a case of “if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck”. Using racial slurs is racist and trying to excuse this behaviour as “not racist” and/or “not racially motivated” is weak and illogical.

  11. Let’s divert the criticism saying that there was racism!!!

    1. there was racism, social media is not just racefans.net

    2. You need to seperate it from the sport.

      There’s absolutely nothing wrong with critising Hamilton in a sporting sense. But if you’re using the sporting rivalry aspect to put your head in the sand about the issues facing society (in general not just with Hamilton/F1) with racism generally in social media that you need to have a bit of a think.

  12. Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
    19th July 2021, 10:34

    I wonder how long it’s going to take before it becomes:
    >Verstappen gets yeeted off of the track by Hamilton
    >People insult Hamilton on socials
    >They must be Verstappen fans
    >Therefor Verstappen and each one of his fans is racist

    Having said that, naturally the responses on social media towards Hamilton are out of line, but at this point that is sadly what you can expect on those media. It’s a shame they’re (at least Twitter) is quite useful, but otherwise I wouldn’t mind not ever having to use them because of the people that are on it.

    1. Something we can agree on Barry! Yes this polarising culture fueled by social media takes away any middle ground for both sides, there is no conversation or discussion, instead things just amplify sadly.

    2. Have you seen the stuff you’ve been writing on here? You are part of the problem.

  13. I’m sure you speak for many who think the same way.

  14. Many so called criticisms and dislikes from the posts here towards Hamilton before this crash were, if delved deeply, if they were asked for their real reasons, eventually led to the racial tones. Many couched their dislikes to his fashion sense, his apparently American twang, his tax status and even denial that Hamilton is ever that good. How dare someone like him demonstrating so much skills, so successful, be given a seat at top teams? Many of them defend themselves by saying “I’m entitled to my opinion”, too thick to be aware that being racist is not an opinion. To be racist implied that one feels superior towards other races. I have not heard any of the sensible explanation as to what, which and how make one race more superior? This crash provided an excuse for them to be more explicit. Social media provides them with perfect cover. Needless to say, you don’t have to like Hamilton as a driver and one may well prefer other drivers. We all have our own favourites and are capable of being objective.

    Horner, the stirrer-in-chief, is demonstrating the master class of stirring things up, yet again. Horner never likes Hamilton anyway, but how irresponsible a leader Horner is to stir this so much? I hope you are satisfied now, Horner. Horner is media friendly and he will extract this time to his benefits. Horner will no doubt eventually say suitably acceptable things about all these abuses being not appropriate but not too soon. There is more to extract, isn’t there Horner? Max, of course follows, conveniently forgetting that he was responsible for many aggressive crashes himself, aggressive towards other drivers too out of track. It is very disrespectful of Horner and Max to stir and stir. What poor losers. Imagine all the additional cheating Horner is going to engineer after this?

    1. Or Lewis is just not a very nice person

      1. yes to Mia opinion.

        1. Well, I have a beef with Mia, but she’s right about the atrocious Horner. By the way, Anon is still looking for you…

  15. I definitely think RB need to have a look at Horner’s and Marko’s behaviour and comments following the incident, calling things like desperate, deliberate, race ban. They pretty much fuelled all the hatred and racial comments to HAM. Max is a great driver, I just hope he does not follow the same whining strategy as the two above.

    1. Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
      19th July 2021, 10:48

      They pretty much fuelled all the hatred and racial comments to HAM

      I disagree: they didn’t say anything that could even remotely been seen as racist, so no harm was done there. If giving your honest opinion isn’t allowed anymore because ‘it might lead to X’, then we might as well pack it all up and call it a day. That stuff is happening already happening enough as it is.

      1. @barryfromdownunder At no point did Christian Horner or Helmut Marko’s attitude on Sunday come across as “honest”. Not unless they have somehow got through 16 years of F1 without learning a single thing about how racing drivers think, or 20 years of racing at Silverstone without familiarity with Copse.

        I don’t think they intended any harm, and they certainly weren’t racist, but claiming deliberate misconduct which was patently not there, and knowingly making a false claim about how overtakes at Copse can be done, will have encouraged wrongful anti-Hamilton commentary, through copying their example.

    2. I also disagree Ben. Hamilton isn’t above criticism from Horner and Marko. People might disagree with them (like me for example) and think they were over the top, but it has nothing to do with racial comments. We have to be able to allow criticism of people, even harsh criticism, and then try to argue otherwise. When it becomes a problem is when it shifts to something around skin colour for example, or sexuality. There’s a quote from Karl Popper which I think sums it up nicely: “You can’t tolerate intolerance.”

  16. Thats a very astute observation Niki101. Which given the level of Hamilton vitriol in your posts makes me think you are one of those Hamilton fans. All this nonsense you post is just a feeble attempt to caste the anti-Ham crowd in a bad light and change the narrative to suit your boy. I’ll be keeping my eye on you.

  17. “Racial slurs aren’t racist” 🤣

    Clearly Hamilton’s move on Sunday was controversial, and robust criticism is to be expected and should be taken on the chin. However, racial slurs are not “robust criticism”, they are lazy and racist.

    Please don’t report amian’s comment. Just let it stand as evidence of racists’ deeply flawed logic and reasoning.

  18. Adam (@rocketpanda)
    19th July 2021, 10:52

    You can certainly dislike him – and dislike him a lot, without bringing race into it. His colour of skin isn’t relevant here and it shouldn’t be, we’re not discussing that. We’re discussing what he did on track. Likewise you can be respectful of someone’s achievements and ability but criticise them when they’ve done wrong or poorly and not liking him does not mean you’re a racist.

    1. @rocketpanda …but the crux of the matter is, when you post monkey emoji’s or call him the N-word in response to his actions, then people are going to believe it’s racism.

      You don’t *accidentally* use these universally recognised pejoratives.

  19. On the face of it, it looks as though Hamilton is getting a lot of criticism on this site, and then you realise its the same 3 names in every article.

    1. I noticed that!

    2. LOL…very true.

  20. Given how 140,000 people were roaring Lewis on yesterday, I imagine most of the the abuse, like how it turned out to be in the case of the three English footballers who missed in the Euro 2020 final penalty shoot out, has come from outside the UK, not that it excuses it in anyway.

    1. RandomMallard (@)
      19th July 2021, 12:02

      I expect that is probably the case. Of course in F1 than are many more nationalities directly involved than the Euros, where there was only England and Italy directly facing off. I can take a guess that many of these comments are coming from another country in Northern mainland Europe…. I have no conclusive evidence for this, but I would not be surprised.

      And as someone who is supporting Max in the championship battle, l have found the reaction to yesterday’s incident from a small minority of so-called fans disgusting, despicable and abhorrent. Above all, I want to see a close and interesting championship battle, and anyone who goes to such deep depths as so.e have been doing in the last 24 hours cannot be considered a true fan of the sport in my opinion.

    2. This was precisely the point I came here to make.

      If I recall correctly, there was a metric posted somewhere that showed that, wrt Euro 2020 final, a significant majority of the abuse came from the Middle East and Asia. I didn’t verify it. Having lived in the UK before (as a brown person, because its 2021 and that’s what defines me), I can’t say I experienced overt racism or discrimination. Thats not to say racism doesn’t exist there, or anywhere.

      I can safely tell you, that Asia, and the Middle East, are infinitely more racist that the UK will ever be.

      1. @jaymenon10 However, 1 in 6 of the identifable abuse came from within the UK, which is quite remarkable given that it was a UK team involved and football fans are usually protective of their own team when they lose (apart from the boss of the team, who’s generally scapegoated in that scenario).

  21. You’re better than this @balue

    1. @john-h I’m not saying racist comments is not bad if that’s what you’re insinuating. I’m saying that it is more than likely that this is used as a diversionary tactic as silencing criticism by playing the race card is the default reaction by Hamilton supporters like I said.

      1. No, that’s not what I’m saying @balue. I’m disagreeing with you saying people are intentionally playing the race card here as you put it, and somehow that is the “default reaction” by Hamilton supporters. Well I’m a Hamilton supporter, criticised him yesterday for his actions, and will never ever ‘play the race card’ so to speak. There are many of us, probably the silent (for the most part) majority.

      2. @john-h Well I’ve lost count how many times it’s been played on me, and what I’ve seen it played on others, here and elsewhere. Here’s one from just yesterday for example: https://www.racefans.net/2021/07/18/hamilton-wins-british-grand-prix-despite-penalty-for-colliding-with-verstappen/

        It’s such a go-to tactic that I wouldn’t be at all surprised if this is played in a similar way, and sites sympathetic to Hamilton more than happy to go along now. As I said, I find it more than likely.

      3. Indeed I don’t doubt that it happens @balue, but it being “staple for Hamilton supporters” is what I take issue with. It really isn’t, and those kind of accusations make the whole thing much worse and divisive. Maybe we’ll have to agree to disagree here.

  22. Hamilton getting racist abuse as been going on for as long as I can remember.

    How do you think this is blocking justified criticism of him?

    1. I started commenting here on this site in 2007 when (a) I first saw an amazing new British driver make his appearance in Formula 1 in Australia, and (b) started seeing the racist comments being made about him (mostly alleged ‘Alonso supporters’ at the time). 14 years on, little has changed in some respects, some have learnt to hide and code their attacks, but the same animosity remains among a minority. But in other respects a lot has changed, I see a lot more people angered by racism and willing to speak out as victims of racism or defenders of victims of racism.

  23. Haven’t seen one racist comment since yesterday on any platform.

    1. @rvg013 Sadly you don’t have to look far. Took me five seconds to turn one up on Twitter.

      If anyone sees a comment on here they believe does not meet our comment policy, which forbids racism and other discriminatory remarks, use the ‘Report Comment’ facility or get in touch via the contact form:

      https://www.racefans.net/contact/contact-f1fanatic/

      1. Ok seen it. Very sad indeed.

      2. But the filter blocks them from being posted here, right?

    2. From the f1 subreddit – ‘Since a lot of conversation today is centered around the statements put out by teams and FIA expressing their disgust at racist comments, I thought I’d provide a bit of context from the moderators side.

      Last night, we were looking at ~6000 removed comments, most of which were for being racist. Today, that number is at ~18000, and the primary reason is still racist commentary.’

  24. It’s not the abuse from open bigots I worry about. It’s the denial, minimization, blaming of victims for complaints that I worry about. Which is in full display from many here. Because that’s what makes racism and discrimination actually effective. It’s this hidden army of collaborators that do the real work. That’s what makes me anxious for my children.

    1. What worries me is not the posturing or virtue-signaling, but the real deep-rooted racism, where people just shrug or turn the other way when some poor brown people gets slaughtered or are suffering in some poor country. It’s like F1 and Saudi-Arabian now. It pretends to be so sensitive to social issues, but promoting that country means it’s all fake, and they do it because they don’t really care about the people there and they know they can get away with it because no one else really care either.

      1. @balue

        when some poor brown people gets slaughtered or are suffering in some poor country

        Right, so basically you feel your idea of what constitutes a critical mass of racism important enough to call racist is more valid than the perspective of those who actually face racism? This is such a tired way of thinking by old white men and reminds me so much of arguments pontificating about women’s right to choose what happens with their bodies by people who aren’t women. Just stop.

        1. @maciek How do you know what racism I face or have faced, and how can you possibly make out that those people I mentioned don’t actually face racism? It’s just as bizarre as defining that only victims of racism can call out systemic and serious racism, or that I somehow invalidate other forms of racism by describing a much serious level of racism.

          But the worst is probably the sheer hypocrisy of lecturing me what I can and can’t say about the topic not being victim of racism (which you have no idea about), while you yourself is smugly showing your whiteness.

          Thanks for proving my point. I bet you like most of your kind were in uproar over a guy in Minnesota and the racist police deaths in USA, but couldn’t care less about 1 million dead Iraqis, the thousands of Yemeni children and all the other wars and atrocities waged in countries you don’t want to know about. You obviously felt strongly against that narrative coming forward.

  25. Some people (Naming no names) made death threats against Lewis yesterday on this site. The immediate reply from a couple of Dutch usernames was “false flag”. Only the username making the death threats was a very long standing well known Max fan. Calling false flag with no evidence at all is a deliberate attempt to excuse the action while smearing Lewis’ fans, to use racist abuse or death threats to do this is as ugly as the racism and death threats themselves.

  26. What social media are they talking about?? I must have read thousands of comments on RF and so far none truly qualified as racist. Where is it? Facebook, Twitter? I am not a Hamilton fan because of his personality. To me he is the kid in class whom calls foul to the teacher, having instigated and backstabbed his way into favoratism thats all. Has nothing to do with his skin colour what-so-ever, and everything to do with a perception of a fake moral compass.

    1. I must have read thousands of comments on RF and so far none truly qualified as racist.

      Nor should there be. Should you ever see any – or another comment you believe does not meet our comment policy which forbids racism and other discriminatory remarks – use the ‘Report Comment’ facility or get in touch via the contact form:

      https://www.racefans.net/contact/contact-f1fanatic/

    2. @Thomas Every social media platform with a significant F1 fandom presence. While RF has had relatively few such comments compared to the larger platforms, that’s largely because of greater diligence in removing those posts with obviously racist/otherwise rule-breaching stuff, and less arguing back from automated moderation (because as far as I know, all RF moderation is done by humans).

  27. The black England players were abused online after the Euros final and specialist tech trackers reported 98% came from sites outside the UK. I wonder if anyone has the same data for the abuse hurled at Hamilton with specifics of origin.

    There are always idiots prepared to go the extra mile out of fan support into racial abuse but after the Euros I did wonder if a lot of it was provocation to cause division. Cicero said the key question is always “Who benefits?”

    Who does?

    1. While it does seem that sadly the level of intolerance against “foreigners” and racism against people is far higher in England than I would have thought some 5-6 years back, since Brexit the countless attacks (verbal but also physical) against differently looking people, against people from central europe and against shops, houses of prayer etc. makes that hard to deny.

      However, just like there were clear sources who amplified the antagonism between people prior to the brexit vote and its aftermath, those sources, and their reasons remain as active now, as they were then.

  28. The only escalation was done by the racists whose criticism of Lewis was based on his race on not on his driving. Posting the monkey or banana emoji, or calling him the n-word as a response (and whatever other racist abuse was directed towards him. I had to stop looking after I saw those examples) is what is being criticized. And 1000% correctly so. Every single person who participated in that should be called out for being what they are: racist.

    F1 fans can have educated and heated debates about the merits of Lewis’ overtaking move. Plenty of it has happened here on this site. But to bring Lewis’ race into that criticism is the disgusting tactic of idiots who are filled with hate based on nothing more than the color of their skin. Imagine being so stupid as to hate someone for having the wrong color skin and use that as an excuse to post abhorent remarks online.

  29. …these tacitly dismissive comments concern me just as much as, if not more than, the overt racist ones I’ve seen on this site and others.

    “Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.” – Martin Luther King Jr ‘Letter from Birmingham Jail’ 1963

  30. It is incredibly stupid of you to insinuate all Max fans are responsible for the racist abuse. And there is not a shred of evidence for it either. You just seem like a heavily biased crybaby.

  31. Any racist abuse is bad, there is no justification for it. The accident itself yesterday you could almost see coming before it happened if you’ve been watching racing for many years. What I saw was two drivers committed to winning and giving nothing in return to their rivals, it was hard racing from two very evenly matched drivers in terms of talent and now machinery.
    And that is the rub. For the first time in his career Verstappen has a car capable of taking the fight to Lewis, this is the best opportunity Max has ever had to be champion. He knows it and Hamilton knows it. Honda are leaving the sport, at a time when their engines are now finally a match to the Mercedes. Who knows how Red Bull will fair in the future without Honda power? All the more reason for Max to be uncompromising.
    Hamilton is getting older, with drastic changes coming up with the cars that could in theory end the seven year Mercedes dominance in the championship. He is one title away from becoming the most successful driver in F1 history, he is going to be uncompromising. Is what happened yesterday a surprise? To me, no! Had Senna lived and raced Schumacher and fought for championships, who knows what would have happened between say 1994 and 1997. I can tell you one thing, it would have got ugly. It always does when a younger guy challenges the old for the crown, everytime.

    1. The Limit: Absolutely spot on!!!

  32. Such as?

  33. Why does it sound like that you called Netherlands “suckers”?

  34. Lewis has been, and always will be, judged more harshly than any other driver on the grid. Unfortunately the comments I’ve read over the past few days has only confirmed my worries that F1 and its fanbase has a long way to go before its competitors are truly treated equally. In that regard we are no different to football.

    The fans’ deflection of the abuse Lewis has received is therefore not surprising. It only confirms that his push for racial equality is needed more than ever.

    1. Absolute truth. When we claim the amount of disproportionate criticism Hamilton receives over ANYTHING he does is linked to the color of his skin, ppeople erupt in faux outrage.

      Well, reading the comments here and others online has only confirmed what those who don’t want to bury their heads in the sand already know.

  35. @amian – i make bold to say, you are a racist. Only racists use racial slurs to insult others.

    Again, you are a racist. Thanks for exposing yourself.

  36. It is amazing the amount of closet racists on this forum exposing themselves, by intentionally trying to conflate racist abuse with what they call “robust criticism”.

    Shame!

  37. NeverElectric
    20th July 2021, 4:42

    Great illustration of why the “No Racism” campaigns spearheaded by Hamilton and the FIA are necessary.
    Especially in this forum.

  38. F1taffyfanboy
    20th July 2021, 6:56

    Let me be clear on this – there is no place for racism of any description towards any individual in any walk of life ! However on this I assign maybe Horner/Marko/Max needed to be less inflammatory and aggressive in their criticism of Lewis, the world ( & especially the UK) at the moment seems to be like a powder keg that’s easily ignited. Just maybe a more co suffered approach by the RB organisation may not have given these low life’s the fuel they needed to post their vile abuse ?

  39. Odd that. Because F1, all the teams, most of the drivers, and nearly all those involved in F1 think you are part of the problem and want to make it clear they don’t want you anywhere near the sport.

  40. @Niki101 In the UK (where most of the teams are), threats against a driver based on nationality are also considered “racist”. So it covers the death threats against Max as well as those against Lewis.

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