After crashing into another driver in the British Grand Prix and later winning the race, star Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton was targeted with racial abuse online.

Hamilton is the only black driver in Formula One racing. Formula One, Mercedes-AMG Petronas and the International Automobile Federation all released a joint statement condemning the racial taunts.

Sky Sports reported racist messages consisting of “monkey emojis” and other slurs that were commented on an Instagram post by the Mercedes team celebrating Hamilton’s victory. 

A spokesperson for Facebook, owner of Instagram, made a statement to CBS News calling the abuse “unacceptable” and noted the removal of any comments made.

The spokesperson stated, “No single thing will fix this challenge overnight but we’re committed to the work to keep our community safe from abuse.”

McLaren and Aston Martin were among the other F1 teams that provided supportive messages to Hamilton. 

McLaren said, “Racism must be driven out of our sport, and it’s our shared responsibility to unite and eliminate it.”

Hamilton’s collision in the race was with rival Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. The incident occurred in the first lap and resulted in Verstappen being sent to the hospital. Hamilton overcame the 10-second penalty he was given and recorded his eighth career victory at the British Grand Prix. 

Verstappen was outspoken about the situation, calling Hamilton’s move which resulted in the accident “dangerous.” Verstappen also was unhappy with Hamilton’s “unsportsmanlike” celebrations after his victory.

Hamilton tweeted after the victory and explained that the incident with Verstappen was a “reminder of the dangers of this sport.”

“I send my best wishes to Max who is an incredible competitor,” said Hamilton. “I’m glad to hear he is ok. I will always race hard but always fairly. My team showed grit and perseverance out there. It’s a dream to win in front of my home crowd.” 

Hamilton is 36 years old and is widely considered one of the greatest drivers in the sport. The driver has been an outspoken supporter of Black Lives Matter. He has knelt on one knee in support of the protests begun by Colin Kapernick and worn a shirt calling for the justice for Breonna Taylor. 

It was a scary moment when a French Formula One racer Romain Grosjean crashed into a wall as his car burst into a fire.

The crash occurred during the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit in Manama. It was during the first lap when suddenly Grosjean’s car started to spark as it clipped off another driver and smashed into the barrier. The car hit the barrier as it split into two and immediately caught in flames.

Firefighters rushed to extinguish the flames. Luckily, Grosjean was able to come out of the vehicle safely while it was still on fire. Grosjean walked out with his helmet on as his hands were visibly shaken.

Grosjean was taken to the hospital as Formula One provided a statement and an update Sunday. Guenther Steiner principal of the Hass team said, “Romain is doing okay, I don’t want to make a medical comment but he had light burns on his hands and ankles. Obviously he’s shaken… I want to thank the rescue crews who are very quick. The marshals and FIA people they did a great job, it was scary.”

Grosjean posted a photo of himself smiling with a thumbs up on Monday morning. His hands are visibly bandaged but he is doing well. He said, “Thank you so much for all your message.”

Lewis Hamilton has become one of Formula One’s successful drivers and one of the greatest. Hamilton is now tied with Formula One great Michael Schumacher after recording his seventh world title win on Sunday.

Hamilton continues to blaze through the Formula One scene. Hamilton rode through the Turkish Grand Prix on a rainy Sunday for the win. The win allowed Hamilton to secure his 94th win and the record he set of most Grand Pix wins to 94. The win earned him his seventh world title win and tied him with Schumacher for most world title wins at seven.

Heading into Sunday, Hamilton needed to be eight points ahead of his teammate Valtteri Botas in order to secure his seventh world title. He was able to do so during his win after Botas finished 14th to earn zero points. The win continued to highlight how dominant he is in F1 racing. He has won 10 of 14 races this year, he won four in a row and secured the world title with three races remaining.

After his historic win on Sunday, he made an Instagram post highlighting his win but also his thoughts. In the post, he reflected on what the win meant to him but what it meant overall. “This year I’ve been driven not just by my desire to win on the track, but by a desire to help push our sport, and our world to become more diverse and inclusive,” he wrote. “I promise you I am not going to stop fighting for change. We have a long way to go but I will continue to push for equality within our sport, and within the greater world, we live in. Equaling Michael Schumacher’s record puts a spotlight on me that I know won’t be here forever. So, while you’re here, paying attention, I want to ask everyone to do their part in helping to create a more equal world. Let’s be more accepting and kinder to each other. Let’s make it so that opportunity is not something that is dependent on background or skin color.”

As Hamilton continues to make his mark in Formula One, he has used his platform to fight for equality and support the Black Lives Matters movement. As the face of F1 and the first and only black world champion in the sport’s 70-year history, he has become a force for change. Mercedes unveiled an all-black car this season to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matters movement. Drivers will wear all-black uniforms with the halos of the cars featuring an “End Racism” on it.

Hamilton has had a tough time in getting into the sport. His father had to work three jobs, use his life savings and remortgage their home in order for Hamilton to stay in karting. “It is no secret that I have walked this sport alone as the only person of color here,” he said. “When I was younger I didn’t have anybody in the sport that looked like me so it was easy to think that’s not possible to get there because nobody of your color has ever been there, you don’t see any black people in F1.”

Hamilton hopes to use his success as motivation for younger kids. “But hopefully this sends a message to the kids that are watching … that it doesn’t matter where you come from, whatever your background, it is so important to you to dream big,” Hamilton said. “You can create your own path and that is what I have been able to do, and it has been so tough. Tough doesn’t even describe how hard it has been.”

Mercedes, in support of anti-racism movements across the United States, has unveiled a new livery for the 2022 Formula One season. The livery is an all-black look and in an Instagram post, the company described it as “a pledge to improve the diversity of our team and our sport, and a signal of the Team’s commitment to fighting racism and discrimination in all its forms.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCBfy1-HMnf/

One of the biggest fans of the decision is Mercedes driver, and arguably the best F1 driver in the world, has been Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, whose father is black, spoke about the opportunities that these movements have brought. “It’s so important that we seize this moment and use it to educate ourselves whether you are an individual, brand or company to make real meaningful changes when it comes to ensuring equality and inclusivity. I have personally experienced racism in my life and seen my family and friends experience racism, and I am speaking from the heart when I appeal for change. When I spoke to Toto about my hopes for what we could achieve as a team, I said it was so important that we stand united. I would like to say a huge thank you to Toto [Wolff] and the Mercedes Board for taking the time to listen, to talk, and to really understand my experiences and passion, and for making this important statement that we are willing to change and improve as a business. We want to build a legacy that goes beyond sport, and if we can be the leaders and can start building more diversity within our own business, it will send such a strong message and give others the confidence to begin a dialogue about how they can implement change.”

Mercedes announced that they will be retooling their team to be more ethnically diverse. Wolff in a statement spoke about the platform the company has and how Mercedes-Benz will strive to be better and the decision to roll out a new livery for this upcoming season. “Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief at Mercedes,” Wolff said. “But having the right beliefs and the right mindset isn’t enough if we remain silent. We wish to use our voice and our global platform to speak up for respect and equality, and the Silver Arrow will race in black for the entire 2020 season to show our commitment to greater diversity within our team and our sport. We will not shy away from our weaknesses in this area, nor from the progress we must still make; our livery is our public pledge to take positive action. We intend to find and attract the very best talents from the broadest possible range of backgrounds, and to create credible pathways for them to reach our sport, in order to build a stronger and more diverse team in the future. I would also like to use this opportunity to thank our parent company Mercedes-Benz and our family of team partners who have supported and encouraged this initiative.”

The 2020 Formula One season was halted because of the coronavirus pandemic back in March. In a statement on Tuesday, the first eight race dates for the F1 season, starting July 3-5 in Austria, were announced.

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F1 CEO Chase Carey said in the statement that a lot of work has gone into getting the season off the ground. “In the past weeks we have been working tirelessly with all our partners, the FIA and the teams to create a revised opening 2020 calendar allowing us to restart racing in the safest possible way,” Carey said. “We are pleased to be able to set out our opening eight race calendar today and look forward to publishing our full calendar in the coming weeks. I want to thank every promoter and partner for their support and ongoing commitment to Formula One. While we currently expect the season to commence without fans at our races we hope that over the coming months the situation will allow us to welcome them back once it is safe to do, but we know the return of Formula One will be a welcome boost to sports fans around the world.”

The eight races will all take place in Europe and the schedule will look as follows:

• July 3-5: Austrina Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring (Austria)
• July 10-12: Steiermark Grand Prix, Red Bull Ring (Austria)
• July 17-19: Hungarian Grand Prix, Hungaroring (Hungary)
• July 31-August 2: British Grand Prix, Silverstone (Great Britain)
• August 7-9: Formula One 70th Anniversary Grand Prix, Silverstone (Great Britain)
• August 14-16: Spanish Grand Prix, Circuit de Catalunya (Spain)
• August 28-30: Belgian Grand Prix, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium)
• September 4-6: Italian Grand Prix, Monza (Italy)

The rest of the calendar is expected to be revealed in the coming weeks, but it is expected Bahrain and Abu Dhabi will be the last two events of the season.

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Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula One champion, will no longer be a part of the Ferrari team after the 2020 season, the team announced early Tuesday morning. For the last six seasons, Vettel has been driving as a member of team Ferrari with his most recent championship in 2013.

Vettel’s contract was expected to end after this season and it appeared, at least up until recently, that the two sides would work on a new contract. Vettel says that the reason for this split had nothing to do with money, but one has to wonder that it might as Vettel was reportedly offered a contract by Ferrari. That contract was a one-year deal on a reduced salary making Vettel the number two driver to Chris Leclerc, who signed a five-year deal with Ferrari. 

In a post on Twitter, Leclerc posted a two-part appreciation post for what appears to be his now-former teammate in Vettel.

In a statement, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said that this split is mutual between the company and Vettel. “This is a decision taken jointly by ourselves and Sebastian, one which both parties feel is for the best. It was not an easy decision to reach, given Sebastian’s worth as a driver and as a person. There was no specific reason that led to this decision, apart from the common and amicable belief that the time had come to go our separate ways to reach our respective objectives.”

At least as it appears right now, it does not look like the 32-year old Vettel would receive the title of the top driver at one of the elite F1 teams, barring something crazy like Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes. 

Vettel says that given the situation the world is in, he has had a lot of time to reflect on the future, which is partially responsible for leading him to this decision. “What’s been happening in these past few months has led many of us to reflect on what are our real priorities in life,” he said. “One needs to use one’s imagination and to adopt a new approach to a situation that has changed. I myself will take the time I need to reflect on what really matters when it comes to my future.”

Formula One’s season is expected to start its season on July 5 in Austria.

The Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix begins in Selangor on Sunday, although practices were held on Friday, and here are the results.

Malaysian F1 Grand Prix 2017 Practices News

German Sebastian Vettel finished first in the second practice with a time of one minute, 31.261 seconds. His Ferrari teammate, Kimi Raikkonen of Finland — who recently re-signed with the team through the end of 2018 — finished with a time of 1:31.865.

Finishing in third and fourth place were Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo of Australia and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands respectively. Ricciardo finished with a time of 1:32.099, while Verstappen had 1:32.109.

Spaniard Fernando Alonso of McLaren finished fifth, while Brit Lewis Hamilton of team Mercedes placed sixth.

The practice was stopped early after team Haas’ Romain Grosjean crashed. The French driver finished 17th in that practice.

In the first practice, Verstappen finished first with a time of 1:48.962. Ricciardo came in second with a time of 1:49.719 and Alonso finished third at 1:50.597.

Here are the full times for the first practice:

And here are the highlights:

Here are the times for the second practice:

Here is a photo of Grosjean’s collision:

The Malaysian F1 Grand Prix is a 56-lap, 193-mile race.

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – SEPTEMBER 29: Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H on track during practice for the Malaysia Formula One Grand Prix at Sepang Circuit on September 29, 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

Spanish McLaren driver Fernando Alonso emerged safe after a hard collision with Mexican Haas driver Esteban Gutierrez during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne on Sunday.

Fernando Alonso Flips Car Following Horrific Crash At Australian GP

Approximately one third of the way through the race, the right front tire of Alonso’s McLaren collided with the left rear tire of Gutierrez’s Haas as the Mexican driver braked to make the bend at Turn 3 on Lap 17.

As a result of the crash, Alonso’s car was propelled at high speed into the trackside concrete barrier and flipped twice in a barrel roll before coming to rest in a crumpled wreck.

The force of the crash was so great that fans were left fearing the worst before Alonso crawled out of the cockpit and limped away, shaking hands with a worried Gutierrez and waving to the crowd.

”I’m thankful for the safety of these cars,” Alonso said. ”I’m alive thanks to the job of the last 10 to 15 years of Formula One.”

”You want to stop but it doesn’t stop. It keeps going and going and going,” the Spaniard added. “It was quite scary, but at the last moment the car stopped and I had a little space to go out and I said `I will go out quickly because my mother will be watching at home.”’

Gutierrez quickly ran over to the wrecked McLaren and gave Alonso a handshake and embrace, clearly thankful that he had not been harmed. The incident has now reignited a debate concerning further Formula One safety measures, including the installation of a cockpit ‘halo’ device to protect drivers from being struck on the head by debris and bouncing wheels.

”It was a big relief to see that he was fine,” Gutierrez said. ”It was a very scary moment and not very pleasant to see how his car ended up.

”We were both a bit shocked from the crash. We came together and spoke a little bit, but we’re all good most importantly.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as_rZPJS8KM

Caption: MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 20: Jolyon Palmer of Great Britain drives the (30) Renault Sport Formula One Team Renault RS16 Renault RE16 turbo with Fernando Alonso of Spain drives the (14) McLaren Honda Formula 1 Team McLaren MP4-31 Honda RA616H Hybrid turbo on track at the start during the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park on March 20, 2016 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)

If McLaren has their way, the Formula One’s future will become the present. The British racing team unveiled their MP4-X Formula One Concept Car, which they hope will power them to continued on-track success.

The most noticeable feature of the car is a fighter jet-style cockpit, designed to give drivers increased visibility during a race. To bolster this potential, the car will also be fitted with cameras that feed images directly to the driver’s helmet, allowing him or her to effectively “see through walls.” The system will also provide a heads-up display, alerting the driver to various circumstances, such as debris on the track or the position of the nearest competitor.

Beyond that, the car itself has “thin batteries” and solar energy cells in an attempt to make racing more sustainable. The vehicle is also capably of automatic adjustments to keep the driver safe.

Thanks to wheel-mounted tire sensors, incorrect air pressure will never be an issue. Each sensor is connected to an on-board electronic command unit. That unit in turn works with an pressure regulator to make sure that each wheel is inflated to the right level. This should not only allow for better performances, but also keep dangerous blow-outs and tire delamination to a minimum.

“With the futuristic McLaren MP4-X concept racecar, we wanted to peer into the future and imagine the art of the possible,” said John Allert, Group Brand Director of McLaren Technology Group.

“We have combined a number of F1’s key ingredients – speed, excitement and performance, with the sport’s emerging narratives – such as enclosed cockpits to enhance driver safety, and hybrid power technologies. Formula 1 is the ultimate gladiatorial sport, and the future we envisage will be a high tech, high performance showcase that excites fans like no other sport.”

While it is only a concept, cars like the MP4-X can provide hope for what Formula One’s future might bring.

Photo via McLaren

Prior to the start of the Formula One Racing season, which formally begins on March 15 with the Australian Grand Prix, each racing team reveals their two drivers, cars and reserves. After all this filler is done, the racers get to test their new cars at three pre-season testing sites: with the first currently underway in Jerez, Spain. These events allow the drivers to see the quality of their new rides and eventually tweak them to their liking.

As for the results of the first pre-season event in Jerez, the unofficial times of the third day’s session has the young inexperienced Felipe Nasr of Sauber finishing 109 laps in 1 minute and 21.545 seconds per lap. Nasr’s performance was followed by Kimi Raikkonen of Ferrari (1:21.750 in 94 laps), Nico Rosberg of Mercedes (1:21.982 in 151 laps), Felipe Massa of Williams (1:22.276 in 71 laps), Pastor Maldonado of Lotus (1:22.713 in 96 laps), Carlos Sainz Jr. of Toro Rosso (1:23.187 in 137 laps), Daniel Ricciardo of Red Bull (1:23.901 in 49 laps) and finally Fernando Alonso from McLaren (1:35.553 in 32 laps).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_S2uJwpbn4

While Nasr had the best time today, these results should be taken with a grain of salt: as this is just the first event of a long process of tweaking and fixing. By the time March 15 comes around, a lot of these cars will look and perform different than they did today. Furthermore, Nasr, a relative newcomer who was a reserve for Williams in 2014, is predicted to be in the lower half of the 2015 results.

The test in Jerez ends tomorrow with the next event happening in Barcelona from Feb. 19-22. After that, the final pre-season test is again in Barcelona from Feb. 26-March 1. At the moment, 2014 world title winner Lewis Hamilton is the favorite to win the 2015 season: with Nico Rosberg and Fernando Alonso having the second and third best odds according to various betting organizations.