When Lewis Hamilton stirred MASSIVE controversy by sharing inappropriate clip featuring ex-US President Donald Trump

Lewis Hamilton is a massive F1 personality. The 39-year-old has a huge fanbase across the world who look up to the Briton as a role model. As such, the seven-time world champion has a platform to influence the views of millions globally. Hamilton had used his social media as a means to express his dislike for former US President Donald Trump a few years ago.

The F1 legend had uploaded a story on Instagram that depicted a small dog humping a Donald Trump doll during the 2017 Malaysian GP weekend. Certainly, a rather bold clip about a sitting US President. However, this bizarre clip was soon removed from his account. Although Hamilton made it clear that it was against his will as the 39-year-old had a firm stance over Trump.

I did not and I would not have removed it

Lewis Hamilton told Sky Italia

It seems that the Mercedes F1 team instructed Lewis Hamilton to delete this clip. Formula 1 was about to head to the US the following week for the United States GP in Texas. As such, Hamilton’s video would have attracted massive backlash from Trump supporters at the venue which could’ve created a massive problem for F1 and the Silver Arrows.

The United States is a target market for Formula 1. As such, the sport could not afford its star driver to take such a radical stance against a sitting President. Nevertheless, the video caused massive controversy in the F1 paddock with Toto Wolff admitting that the clip was polarizing.

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff urged Hamilton to rethink his post

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff took a firm stance over this incident. The Austrian made it clear that he did not want his team to be involved in politics, especially with such a polarizing video. Wolff acknowledged that Lewis Hamilton wanted to express his opinions on human rights and the former US President.

This is a very controversial and polarizing story. I wouldn't want to get involved in politics.

Toto Wolff told La Gazzetta dello Sport

However, the Mercedes team boss reckoned that Hamilton should reconsider the use of Instagram to communicate his views in such a manner. Ironically, Wolff mentioned that in the United States, every person has the right to express themselves despite Lewis Hamilton being forced to take down this video.

Lewis' feelings about human rights are very strong and I think he wanted to show that and probably Instagram as the communication channel is something that he needs to rethink... I think one of the most important things in the US is that you have the right to express your opinion.

Lewis Hamilton has only made his voice stronger since then. The seven-time world champion stands firmly in a white man’s sport. Hamilton has not been afraid of taking a knee during national anthems on F1 weekends to protest against racism.

Certainly, Lewis Hamilton is one of the most influential drivers in F1. The 39-year-old has used his popularity as a platform to raise awareness about atrocities around the world. Hamilton had even been nominated for 2 British LGBT awards in 2022 for helping the LGBTQIA+ community. As such, it is clear that the seven-time world champion will not back down no matter the backlash he faces from critics in the time to come.

In case you missed it:

• When Red Bull’s Christian Horner was called ‘the Donald Trump of F1’ for his short yet hard-hitting tweets that invite controversy
• Did Michael Schumacher cheat to win his maiden F1 world championship?

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