The FIA has issued a statement condemning derogatory comments made by fans of a Spanish website against Lewis Hamilton.
The website, pinchalaruedadehamilton.com, which translates literally as ‘burst Hamilton’s tyre’, provides a forum for anti-Hamilton fans and has attracted almost 20,000 comments, large numbers of them with racist undertones.
The regulating body, which established the ‘Every Race’ campaign earlier in the year in response to racist abuse being hurled at Hamilton during testing in Barcelona, denounced the website.
“The FIA’s position is very clear. Discrimination and prejudice can have no place in sport or society. Everyone in our sport will join us in condemning these abusive and hateful comments,” an FIA spokesman said.
Hamilton’s team, McLaren-Mercedes, joined the governing body in its denunciation of the activity.
“McLaren was one of the earliest supporters of the FIA’s ‘Every Race’ campaign, and we support that campaign still,” said a team spokesman.
“We’ve seen today’s statement from an FIA spokesman, and we can only echo it.”
