Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has posted a take down of Helmut Marko after news reports falsely claimed the Red Bull godfather had made tone-deaf comments about the Black Lives Matter movement.
Hamilton earlier this month turned a blowtorch on the entire Formula 1 paddock for its lack of public support for the Black Lives Matter protests that have seen millions march across the world.
While many drivers, including Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, have since voiced their support for the movement, Hamilton has continued to put heat on the sport for its apparent lack of diversity at the top level.
It’s why he appeared so incensed by a tweet on Wednesday night from a news site claiming Marko had labelled the Black Lives Matter movement was a “distraction” for the return of the Formula 1 season.
The problem is that Marko never said anything like that.
The news story that first reported the quotes was deleted on Wednesday.
The report falsely claimed Marko took a dig at Hamilton by suggesting star Red Bull driver Max Verstappen is better prepared mentally than Hamilton to fight for the 2020 world championship in a season disrupted by coronavirus restrictions.
“Whilst some drivers are distracted, talking about lives which matter. The only thing that matters to Max is the World Championship,” the quoted Marko as saying.
“His training has been optimised for this and he is ready to go.”
Tweets commenting on Marko’s falsely reported quote soon spread on social media and appear to have attracted the gaze of Hamilton, who penned a lengthy and heated response to Marko.
In an Instagram story post since deleted, Hamilton wrote Marko’s false quotes left him “quite offended”.
He deleted the post an hour later.
Hamilton has suggested he could take a knee at the Formula 1 season opener in Austria on July 5 as a show of support for the swirling Black Lives Matter movement.
Formula 1 officials have also suggested the sport will not stop any of its drivers from performing displays of protest before the first grand prix of the year next month.