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Lewis Hamilton-Bill Gates anti-vax controversy: F1 driver clarifies Instagram post about anti-vaccination

Subham Jindal
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Lewis Hamilton Bill Gates Anti Vax

Shortly after posting an apparent anti-vax message post on Instagram, Lewis Hamilton has come out with a clarification.

Lewis Hamilton ensures he never is out of the limelight, in spite of being the reigning champion. Firstly, with this Black Lives Matter rhetoric, and now anti-vaccine messaging. This after he responded to a Bill Gates interview video about vaccines and privacy concern.

Lewis Hamilton on the Bill Gates anti vax post

This time, though, he has come back with a clarification on Instagram, ending it with “sending out positivity”. It’s another matter altogether that ‘positivity’ is the worst possible pun this year. 

The F1 driver has admitted to have not gone through the post completely. He also conceded that he has a lot of respect for the philanthropic work that Bill Gates does and did not mean to demean him.

Finally he went onto say that , he was not anti-vaccine but had questions about its side affects and funding procedure on part of the government. This is what his entire message reads, on his Instagram story:

“Hi guys. I’ve noticed some comments on my earlier post around the coronavirus vaccine, and want to clarify my thoughts on it. I understand why they have been misintrepreted. Firstly, I hadn’t actually seen the comment attached so that is totally my fault. I have a lot of respect for the charity work Bill Gates does.” Hamilton said

“I also want to be clear that I’m not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus. I’m hopeful for its development to save lives. However, after watching the video, I felt it showed that there is still a lot of uncertainty about the side-effects. More importantly, how is it going to be funded. I may not always get my posting right, I’m only human but I’m learning as we go. Sending you positivity.” he added.

What to make out of this clarification?

Credit where its due, Lewis Hamilton has done a sensible thing by coming up with a quick clarification. This will help his already somewhat tarnished image to some extend.

It remains to be see how the F1 community reacts to do it, though. He has been constantly pushing drivers and teams to ‘take a knee’ for diversity in motorsports, even embarrassing them in public. Now, it remains to be seen how many drivers will support him with this endeavor.

About the author

Subham Jindal

Subham Jindal

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A Red - be it Manchester United or Ferrari. Hails from the hills of Kalimpong, Darjeeling. Aspiring to become a respected Sports Management professional.

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