Hamilton ‘disgusted and disappointed’ after crowd abuse in Austria
Hamilton, 37, posted on Instagram that he was “disgusted and disappointed” to hear about abusive behaviour at the circuit
Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton called on Formula One and its drivers to take action after reports emerged of racist, homophobic and misogynist abuse among the crowd at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Before Sunday’s race, F1 released a statement saying it would not tolerate “completely unacceptable comments” over the weekend and it would refer them to the event’s promoter and security.
Supporters had posted online about their negative experiences in Spielberg, and Mercedes invited one Hamilton fan, who said she had her dress lifted up by spectators because of her allegiance, into their garage and Aston Martin welcomed in two fans as well.
Hamilton, 37, posted on Instagram that he was “disgusted and disappointed” to hear about abusive behaviour at the circuit.
Having finished third in the grand prix, he said that initiatives such as “We Race As One”, which was launched in 2020 to focus on the pandemic and inequality, were well-meaning but did not achieve anything.
Hamilton, left, and Sebastian Vettel take in the sights and sounds of Spielberg before the Austrian Grand Prix in front of the massed ranks of Verstappen’s ‘Orange Army’
“I arrived with a really positive mindset this morning and then I heard some of the things that had been said and I was just in a bit of shock and just really sad,” Hamilton, the seven-times world champion, said.
“It’s crazy to think that we’re experiencing these things in 2022. We have to continue to do more. It just highlights that it’s still an issue all over and it comes down to education.
“We all have to work together, we have platforms to spread that positive word to all those people that are watching because people should come here, they should feel safe, they should feel included, and you should be able to follow whoever it is you want to follow. It shouldn’t matter [what is] your gender, your sexuality, the colour of your skin, it should just be everyone here to have a great time.
“It goes back to some of the messaging we talked about in terms of the stuff that we also need to do here in the sport, which is commit more to diversity and inclusion within our industry, because that then reflects the direction we’re going and it also often does reflect what our fanbase looks like.
“It’s time for action. ‘We Race As One’ was all good and well but it was just words. It didn’t actually do anything.”
Charles Leclerc, 24, won the grand prix for Ferrari and added: “If we manage to find these people, we need to take hard action. They shouldn’t be allowed to be anywhere close to our sport.”
The allegations further highlight crowd behaviour in F1. Hamilton said on Saturday it was “mind-blowing” that fans of Max Verstappen, who pipped Hamilton to the world title last year, appeared to celebrate when the Briton crashed at 140mph in qualifying. Verstappen, 24, had been booed at the British Grand Prix five days earlier.
The Dutchman was supported in Austria by thousands of fans known as the Orange Army, who stayed in caravans and tents near the track for three days of qualifying and racing that had a festival atmosphere.
