Lewis Hamilton hits out at F1 chiefs after Sebastian Vettel is punished for pro LGBTQ+ shirt
It’s ‘bull****’!: Lewis Hamilton blasts Formula One chiefs after Sebastian Vettel is hit with a post-race reprimand for wearing a ‘same love’ T-shirt in support of LGBTQ+ community ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix
- Sebastian Vettel wore shirt during the Hungarian national anthem before race
- Drivers can wear shirts with messages but they must be removed for anthems
- Vettel claimed he forgot to remove his shirt due to the onset of rain
- Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram to defend his old championship rival
- Valtteri Bottas, Carlos Sainz and Lance Stroll also punished for similar breaches
Lewis Hamilton hit out at the decision to reprimand Sebastian Vettel for his rainbow T-shirt in support of the LGBTQ+ community in Hungary, calling it ‘bulls**t’ before adding that he will wear the same shirt next time.
Vettel, whose T-shirt read ‘Same Love’, was summoned by the stewards following Sunday’s race at the Hungaroring and the German was one of four drivers reprimanded by officials.
FIA rules stipulate that drivers can wear T-shirts pre-race as it pertains to their We Race As One campaign, but those must be removed for the national anthem, something Vettel, Carlos Sainz, Valtteri Bottas and Lance Stroll failed to do.
Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram to support Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel who wore a shirt reading ‘same love’ in support of the LGBTQ+ community
In a post on Instagram Hamilton, 36, gave his full support to Vettel, who was disqualified after Sunday’s race for being unable to provide the required end-of-race fuel sample.
‘Super proud of this guy,’ Hamilton wrote. ‘There is no rule that says what colour shirt you can wear and supporting the LGBTQ+ community is not repremandable (sic). This is BS. Well done Seb. I’ll join you next time with the same shirt!’
Hamilton quickly deleted that original post before re-uploading the picture of Vettel with the words: ‘Love to see this Seb supporting the LGBTQ+ community. Love always wins.’
Vettel (centre) was reprimanded for leaving his shirt on (above) during the Hungarian national anthem, with Carlos Sainz (second left), Valtteri Bottas (right of Vettel) and Lance Stroll (second right of Vettel) also penalised for a similar offence
Hamilton flew home on Sunday to begin a three-week holiday after revealing he is still suffering from the effects of Covid-19, eight months after testing positive.
Mercedes will provide any medical personnel Hamilton requires but a period of rest is expected to have him fit for the second half of the season, which starts in Spa on August 29.
Hamilton has surged ahead in the drivers’ championship from Max Verstappen. His second-place finish, courtesy of Vettel’s disqualification, puts him ahead by eight points.
Before being disqualified for a fuel infringement, Vettel (left) finished second ahead of Hamilton (right) at the Hungaroring
