Nigel Mansell has said he wants Lewis Hamilton “to feel the heat” in the wake of racist abuse he received after being booed at the U.S. Grand Prix. The double world champion said that he had been subjected to “major racial abuse” on social media after he won Sunday’s U.S. Grand Prix and that he was targeted because of his background. A former Formula One champion, Mansell has campaigned against racism for several years and said that British Muslim F1 driver, Jolyon Palmer, should also have been the target. “They targeted my Muslim community, Jolyon Palmer’s, and if they were aware of the issues, they should have taken steps to protect them,” he said. “And I would like to see Lewis Hamilton feeling the heat.” Mansell said that while Hamilton had not himself been subject to racist abuse, he would speak to him personally. Hamilton said on Twitter that he had spoken to the FIA about the matter but had no authority in the matter. Mansell told BBC Radio 5 that Ferrari, which is run by a German, Sergio Marchionne, who is a non-Ferrari Italian citizen, had brought the issue on themselves by failing to make things clearer about Marchionne’s citizenship. “They are going to have a big problem with the FIA because now we know they are making things up as they go along,” he said. “It was Ferrari who first started the problem. They need to explain why there is this cultural impasse and they need to get through that.”
Nigel Mansell says Lewis Hamilton will be hurt by race baiting. @realDonaldTrump says none of this is acceptable — it’s clear racism is a thing to be reckoned with again. — Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorCrooks1) November 22, 2018
Mansell also said it was ironic that the FIA had allowed a Mercedes car to come to the U.S. Grand Prix, with FIA president Jean Todt having previously said that F1 should make F1 “an international sport for everyone,” not “a blue blood sport that only appeals to the upper class.” “It’s no longer a cultural blind spot but a ‘white supremacy business model,’ he said. “It doesn’t matter that it is a 2015 F1 car any more, as it is ‘an international sport for everyone’ now.” The F1 governing body responded to Mansell’s remarks. “The FIA has absolutely zero tolerance for any form of discrimination or abuse of any kind and we would strongly condemn any such behaviour,” a spokesperson said. “There will be further investigations into this matter with respect to the most recent case in the media.”
Drivers around the world have also condemned the booing at the U.S. Grand Prix. According to The Guardian, Formula One teams were informed by the FIA that Hamilton should not be booed or threatened after he won the race and it was not tolerated. Four-time Formula One champion, Lewis Hamilton, reacts to the boos during the United States Grand Prix on Sunday. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Click here to read the full story at The Guardian.
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