McLaren are set to launch an investigation into abusive messages that were allegedly directed at Lewis Hamilton by one of their employees.
As per the Daily Mail, it is alleged that the employee in question sent several foul-mouthed rants via their since-deleted Facebook and Twitter accounts.
After the Brit recovered from Covid-19 before the 2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the user allegedly called Hamilton a ‘f***ing w***er’.
Furthermore, after the F1 star received his knighthood last year, they wrote: “Oh f**k off. For having the fastest car on the grid. What a w***er.” In addition, after a shocking qualification disqualification in the Brazilian Grand Prix in November, another tweet read: “F***ing get in. F**k off, you pr**k.”
McLaren instantly responded after the shocking messages made their way into the public eye on April 29.
They said: “We consider these comments to be completely at odds with our values and culture at McLaren. We take the matter extremely seriously and are investigating it as a priority.”
In 2008, in just his second F1 season, Hamilton won his first Drivers’ Championship with McLaren. He spent a further four seasons with the team before departing at the end of 2012 to join Mercedes.
Lewis Hamilton has had a poor start to the 2022 season
The seven-time world champion has had a difficult start in 2022. He recorded a surprise podium in Bahrain, although that was primarily due to the retirements of Red Bull duo Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Things got worse in Saudi Arabia.
For the first time since 2017, he was knocked out of qualifying in Q1. The last time he exited on pure pace was back in 2009 at the British Grand Prix.
He then bounced back with a fourth-place finish in Australia, but struggled in the next race at Imola. The 37-year-old could only qualify in 14th position and spent much of the race in a DRS train behind Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly. He finished 13th.
However, this all pales in comparison to the bigger picture. Although the British driver currently stands in seventh place in the championship standings, he has still positively impacted the sport this season.
Read: Lewis Hamilton reveals letter from 14-year-old Saudi boy on death row
Hamilton stands as a beacon of hope in a world full of media trained sportsmen. Regardless of the financial gain of the F1 roadshow, he always stands up for what’s right. He was lauded for his comments before the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
According to the Daily Express, in the two weeks leading to the season’s second race, the Gulf state executed 97 people. But unlike most, the global icon stood up to express his opinion, and he openly spoke out about the need for change in the country. You can only respect that.
Featured Image Credit: Getty