Hamilton racially abused online after British GP win

Lewis Hamilton receives online racist abuse following dramatic British GP win on Sunday; seven-time Formula 1 world champion has been a high-profile voice in the fight against racism

Lewis Hamilton has been targeted with online racist abuse hours after winning the British Grand Prix for the eighth time.

Hamilton claimed victory by overtaking long-time leader Charles Leclerc late on in front of 120,000 spectators at Silverstone.

The 36-year-old recovered from a 10-second time penalty for a huge first-lap crash with title rival Max Verstappen on a dramatic afternoon.

Racist messages including ‘monkey emojis’ and other racial slurs were sent as replies to a post by the Mercedes team on Instagram celebrating Hamilton’s success.

Seven-time world champion Hamilton has consistently been outspoken against racial inequality throughout his career, most recently voicing support for Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho, after they missed penalties in the Euro 2020 final and as a result were subjected to a torrent of racist abuse on social media.

Hamilton has been a high-profile voice in the fight against racism and led the call for Formula One drivers to take a knee before races last year.

Sky Sports News has contacted Facebook, the parent company of Instagram, for comment.

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