With seven world championships and several other records to his name, Lewis Hamilton is undoubtedly one of the most popular drivers in F1. The Briton’s popularity is such that he has more than 8 million followers on Twitter alone.
Since Hamilton is so popular among the F1 community, any news about him spreads like fire. However, this news could also include false rumors to attract attention.
Since Elon Musk-led Twitter now requires all celebrities wanting a blue tick across their name to pay $8 for the service, several impersonators have come up and caused havoc on social media. A Hamilton impersonator also spread one such false rumor about the seven-time world champion that took the Briton’s fans by sheer surprise.
Fake news spreads about Lewis Hamilton as Briton loses Twitter Blue tick
Since Lewis Hamilton‘s official Twitter account no longer has a blue tick, impersonators are misusing it to spread incorrect information about the Briton. One such user has mimicked Hamilton’s profile by not only using the same profile image as the 38-year-old but also the same description.
Moreover, this user has also uploaded the same last two posts as Hamilton to give F1 fans the impression that their account is the Mercedes driver’s official account. After setting up this bait, the Twitter user has spread a massive piece of fake news by stating that Hamilton has decided to retire from F1.
“This is it. The end of my Formula 1 career. I’m so grateful to my family and everyone involved to bring me here today. Gotta say a massive thanks to my team,” read a snippet of the user’s post.
— Lewis Hamilton (@Iewishamillton) April 20, 2023
Several F1 fans state that they almost fell into the trap
thought this was real😭
— 🇬🇾🇵🇰 (@f1d1ni) April 20, 2023
bruh i actually bought it for a second 😭😭
— Lucas (@lucas_msc47) April 20, 2023
Bruh thought this was real for a moment
— Last lap Lando (@electronicdog45) April 20, 2023
Brooooooo my heart dropped
— Demarion (@Demarion155) April 20, 2023
MY HEART STOPPED
— klaudia ⁴⁴ (@formulaklaud) April 21, 2023
Most F1 drivers lost their Twitter Blue tick
At the start of April 21, other than two drivers (Lance Stroll and Valtteri Bottas), all others lost their Twitter Blue ticks. However, as the day has passed, more and more drivers have once again gotten their profiles verified.
Fernando Alonso, Esteban Ocon, and Pierre Gasly are a few of the drivers that have once again gotten their blue ticks on their official Twitter accounts, having lost their verification initially. Any driver who wants to get their profiles verified now needs to adhere to Twitter’s policies, which require paying $8 per month for the service.
