Hamilton, the sport’s black driver, was the target of racist taunts via social media. Formula 1, the International Automobile Federation, and his Mercedes-AMG-Petronas team denounced the actions together in a joint statement.
“Formula 1 and Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team strongly condemn this behavior. “These people are not welcome in our sport, and we demand that those responsible be held accountable for what they did,” read the statement.
The statement stated that Formula One, the FIA and the drivers and teams were working together to create a more diverse and inclusive sport. It also said that such unacceptable instances are being highlighted and eradicated.
Sky Sports reported that racist messages including “monkey emoticons” and other racial slurs were directed to Lewis in an Instagram post made by the Mercedes team celebrating Lewis’ victory. A spokesperson for Facebook, the owner of Instagram, stated that the abuse was unacceptable and had removed some comments from the platform.
The spokesperson stated that “No single solution will solve this problem overnight, but we are committed to the work necessary to protect our community from abuse.”
McLaren, Aston Martin and McLaren also extended support messages to Hamilton.
