Lewis Hamilton Addresses Formula 1's Online Abuse Epidemic
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton released a strong statement about the abuse Formula 1 drivers receive online.
Hamilton broke into the sport before the prominence of social media. He didn't need to deal with the volume of abuse that drivers do currently.
While the seven-time champion didn't receive the same amount of public vitriol, Hamilton faced a ton of backlash as the sport's first Black driver.
No single driver faced as much scrutiny in his first season as Hamilton did. He can understand and relate to the challenges of a young driver.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari looks on prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec.
Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Scuderia Ferrari looks on prior to final practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 14, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec.
Photo byThe current crop of rookie drivers - including Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Oliver Bearman, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar, Gabriel Bortoleto, and Franco Colapinto - gets millions of hateful comments on a weekly basis about their performances and personal lives.
Hamilton shared his sympathy for what young drivers go through in the modern F1 era:
"We are not robots," he told reporters during a media session.
"I have been deeply saddened by the amount of abuse and negativity that I have received online regarding my character, my driving, and my career.
"It's been pretty amazing to see how mature the young drivers that have come in – young men that have come in – have adapted and how they've carried that weight, because it's no easy situation to be thrown into," he said.
"When I got there, it felt like being thrown into the deep end without having the skills to keep yourself afloat. But there wasn't the online stuff that you could see, and that's significant.
"There are probably even more demands on the drivers today, outside of the car, than ever before."
Online abuse was a hot topic of conversation back in May, when Red Bull driver Yuki Tsunoda and former Alpine driver Jack Doohan both received an influx of abuse.
Some Argentine fans targeted those drivers in what they believed was support for Franco Colapinto.
Colapinto was involved in a free practice collision with Tsunoda, which resulted in fans targeting the Japanese driver.
Fans attacked Doohan's family after Alpine removed the Aussie from the team's second seat.
The two situations represent how out of control a driver's fan base can get.
Drivers not only need to deal with the abuse they receive from others, but they also need to be aware of what their supporters are doing to avoid a perpetual cycle of hate.
The social media era places these burdens on drivers at such a young age - leaving these promising talents to battle issues on two different fronts.
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