F1 | Why F1 Twitter is becoming a human stain on our sport
Competitors show respect for one another but a minority of fans do not. ‘F1 Twitter’ is a phrase used to describe the antagonism the messages present. Such animosity created through anonymous means is becoming a stain on human society and our sport.
When it comes to celebrity and fame, there is a famous saying ‘never meet your heroes’. In the case of a minority of Lewis Hamilton’s so-called ‘fans’ that is very true. If they did ever meet their hero, they would have to explain to him the vitriol and hate they have expressed online to Nicholas Latifi and Michael Masi in recent days. For a man who is a leading light to so many and an advocate for being kind to people, one can only imagine how he feels seeing such anonymous online hate being distributed in a misguided act of support. However, not to be outdone, a minority of Max Verstappen ‘fans’ were also in the mood to be keyboard warriors even before the Grand Prix. Their target was Karun Chandhok after the reconfiguration of the Yas Marina circuit removed some of the corners which Red Bull had been successful around previously. In the greatest season of F1 for so many, we have witnessed the worst reaction and attitudes by so few. Regardless of the number though, there is no place for hate and this has got to stop.
There has been a growing anxiety over how the pinnacle of motorsport is being received on the world stage. In recent years, a crowd of racegoers booing a competitor on a podium was rare and now is seeming to become the norm. A bizarre and unacceptable rection for an athlete who has been risking their life in the name of entertainment. So where has this come from?
First, there is the school of thought that the Netflix Drive to Survive generation has influenced people’s reactions as the ‘spectacle turned soap opera’ has been interpreted as reality by a few. No wonder Max Verstappen ceased his contact with the production this year. To him, the way the producers manipulated content and stories was unacceptable. It will be very interesting to see how the show handles their 4th season retelling the events of 2021 - with so little contact between the Champion.
However, Sky Sports F1 also needs to take some responsibility for the animosity shown by ‘fans’. Just last week they had to publicly apologise to Sir Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen:
“We have apologized unreservedly to Max, Lewis and the teams for wrongly including footage of two crashes in an on air Christmas ident. This was a clear mistake and the images have been removed.”
The images in question were Verstappen’s high-speed crash at Silverstone and the pair’s coming together in Monza - followed by the graphics Merry Christmas. Unsurprisingly, the fan base was not thrilled to see their respective icon’s crash presented in such a way.
Herein lies the problem, in the quest for entertainment and ratings, the human element appears to be forgotten and this is a worry moving forward.
Even before qualifying for the season ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – which Max Verstappen took pole at – a portion of the Orange Army was incensed by the reconfiguration of the Abu Dhabi circuit. Ex-F1 driver and current Sky F1 presenter Karun Chandhok was part of the team which redesigned it.
No doubt inadvertently helped in part by Red Bull Racing’s team boss Christian Horner asking in jest during a live broadcast what car Karun drives at present (due to a seemingly Mercedes favoured layout), the so called ‘fanbase’ had their target and Twitter was their weapon.
‘F1 Twitter’ is a phrase people now use to describe the antagonism the messages present. Such animosity created through anonymous means is becoming a stain on human society and one can only hope something is done in the coming years. When a troll mentioned that Karun Chandhok reconfigured the track in a way which was influenced by the experience he had driving Mercedes cars, Chandhok took to social media to say:
“Of all the conspiracy theories this is my favourite. I was also a Red Bull Junior and test driver. And once had lunch at McLaren. Plus driven lots of Williams cars. Oh and I had an Alfa rental car once too. And drove and Aston yesterday around the track.”
A superb response to the trolls but yet again we have to ask ourselves why he feels he needs to respond in the first place. Karun Chandhok worked tirelessly his whole life to get to where he is and is a National Hero in India. For someone to have the nerve to call his integrity into question is shameful and should not be tolerated.
Sunday’s race, which saw Max Verstappen dive down into Turn 5 to take the lead from Lewis Hamilton on the final lap, was only possible due to the reconfiguration of the Yas Marina Circuit. Previously, there had been a chicane in that area and now it was a sweeping left hander primed for overtaking. Will the same people which targeted Karun Chandhok now take the time to thank him? I think we all know the answer.
Unfortunately, one person thanked by Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner was Nicholas Latifi for his crash resulting in the safety car. Alongside this, the promise of Red Bull drinks for life. Now, any rational person could see this was said jokingly but it was misguided by Horner nonetheless. Now F1 twitter had their next target – Canadian Williams Racing driver Nicholas Latifi.
F1 Presenter Will Buxton superbly called out the trolls on his twitter page:
“There’s an awful lot of actually pretty horrific stuff being sent Latifi’s way today. Whatever you think of how the race went down, your ire most certainly is not with him. Think everyone needs to gain a bit of perspective and calm down.”
However, again there are other people who need to take responsibility.
The Daily Mail actually wrote a feature entitled ‘So who are Michael Masi and Nicholas Latifi, whose crash helped Max to title?’ The first line being ‘Nicholas Latifi is a 26-year-old Canadian of Iran-Italian extraction from a wealthy family and currently driving for Williams’ It also had a subtitle ‘Is he prone to crashing?’. Such shameful journalism only adds fuel to the fire and I don’t think it’s up for much debate as to the agenda the publication is seeking to play out.
‘In a world where you can be anything, be kind’ is a famous phrase and was recently shared by Lewis Hamilton’s right hand woman Angela Cullen. This is needed now more than ever. We haven’t even examined the threats and messages directed towards FIA Race Director Michael Masi. Everyone prior to the race was quick to say Masi had the hardest job in the world that weekend and they would not want it. Well, someone has to have it otherwise there can be no racing. Just like in football, you cannot have a match without a referee and we all know the abuse that they receive on a weekly basis.
Formula One is at unprecedented levels of popularity and a very powerful sport at present in a billion-dollar industry. With great power comes great responsibility and as such moving forward in today’s climate the short-term solution can only be for people involved in the sport to be more mindful of what they say.
The world of F1 just said goodbye to Kimi Raikkonen, a man famous for his lack of lengthy interviews and seemingly guarded persona. The way things are going though, this may become the norm as opposed to the exception in a time when competitors close themselves off so as to avoid anyway that comments can be twisted.
In the end, the man impacted by Sunday’s outcome other than the new F1 champion Max Verstappen, was Lewis Hamilton. Having seen a record-breaking eighth F1 Drivers’ Championship taken from his grasp at the last minute, his conduct in the moments after have rightly drawn praise.
F1 and IndyCar legend Mario Andretti used twitter in the best way to say, “The Lewis Hamilton Master Class on how to be the best in every way. A champion who wins most days & shows the world how to behave & stay composed when situations aren’t kind to you. LH brings his A-game even when his soul is ripped out. Strength. Control of spirit. Role model.”
Lewis Hamilton will surely come back stronger than ever because we all know that a motivated Lewis Hamilton is a dangerous Hamilton. Unfortunately, there are too many ‘fans’ out there for all camps that are becoming dangerous in their conduct. We know that at football stadiums, fans are segregated by lines of police and if this aggression and bitterness continues this could become the future for our sport. The image of Team LH separated from the Orange Army and the Tifosi for good measure is one I dread.
F1 Twitter has shown that everyone has a voice so we have to take the power back and use our voice in the most effective way. If you read something unacceptable report them and call them out on it. Evil triumphs when good people do nothing. Formula One is full of good people and it is time for all of us to do something.
