Last weekend, Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr. suffered horrific racist abuse during a match at Estadio Mestalla against Valencia. It caught the entire sporting world’s attention, with huge figures like F1’s Lewis Hamilton offering support to the young Brazilian. However, listening to the vile comments aimed at Vinicius, Hamilton couldn’t help but relieve some unpleasant memories himself.
Hamilton is the only black driver in F1 and has encountered various cases of discrimination and racism throughout his career. Ahead of the Monaco GP this weekend, Hamilton spoke to Sky Sports and answered questions related to the incident involving Vinicius in Spain.
First and foremost, Hamilton stated that he is sad that people of color have to deal with incidents like this even today. He mentioned similar situations he has been in during the early days of his F1 career but went on to laud Vinicius Jr. for being “incredibly brave” despite being in a very difficult situation.
Lewis Hamilton reminded me of all the abuse he faced in F1
When Lewis Hamilton spoke out in support of Vinicius Jr. earlier this week, fans unearthed pictures and videos of racist abuse the British driver faced during the 2007 Spanish GP. He was involved in a title battle with Spaniard Fernando Alonso, and the fans on track in Barcelona crossed the line. Speaking to the media ahead of race in Monaco, Hamilton spoke about what he encountered all those years ago.
“It really hits home for me,” said Hamilton. “It really brings up emotions about things that I experienced. Whether it is back in the UK, or when I was racing in Italy, or in France. Or in Spain. It can be so hurtful, the things people say.”
Despite the discrimination he faced, Hamilton has gone on to become arguably the greatest driver in F1 history. He has won seven-world championships, and has used his stat status as a platform to speak out against the issues that troubled him in the past and still plague society.
Hamilton praises Vinicius Jr’s bravery
Vinicius Jr. has been subject to racist abuse throughout the 2022/23 La Liga season in Spain. He notified the authorities of what he was facing on a daily basis, but things got out of hand during Real Madrid’s recent trip to Valencia. The fallout following the disgraced encounter was immense, as the federation ended up firing several match officials, and the police arrested those involved in the heinous crime.
“I think it’s amazing what so many of these are experiencing that on the pitch are doing in terms of standing tall, standing strong, continuing to be humble in their approach,” he said.
Even though the majority of the world is behind the Brazilian starlet at the moment, he is facing his fair share of criticism. Hamilton feels that Vinicius is being very brave in a situation like this.
