All the 20 F1 drivers for the 2020 season lined-up ahead of testing (Getty)
From Lewis Hamilton to Daniel Ricciardo, many F1 drivers have decided to boycott social media during the Portuguese Grand Prix
Social media is one of the biggest methods to connect with fans thanks to the growth in technology. Twitter, Facebook and several other outlets see countless updates from all sports teams, stars and others and their reach is to millions across the world.
However, many of the F1 stars, such as Lewis Hamilton, will boycott social media and not post any updates during the Portuguese GP.
This is a response to the online hate that has been growing over the years on social media. Many football stars, such as Marcus Rashford, have called out Twitter and Facebook for their inaction over the years.
Many stars are often abused and called racial slurs after some performances while Facebook and Twitter have only shared hollowed statements regarding their action.
Rashford has worked tirelessly in the UK to help children get school meals during the lockdown and shared his thoughts on how little work social media companies have done to battle abuse.
It isn’t just the footballers who are doing their part with many broadcasters like BT Sport and Sky also extending their support to the ban.
F1 also posted a statement where they confirmed that they understood this stance from the racers and also some team members.
Hamilton has been fighting online abuse for a few years and F1 had several hashtags and statements condemning such abuse last year.
Hamilton, a seven-time World Champion, was one of the first to post his decision to boycott social media and was joined by several others soon.
Williams star, George Russell, was also there to support the cause and also posted a video.
Russell’s teammate, Nicholas Latifi also provided an update and joined his fellow racers:
McLaren pair Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo also vowed to stay off social media during the Portuguese race weekend.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, of Ferrari, were also ready to boycott social media.
Esteban Ocon also shared his thoughts on the same issue and backed his fellow racers while Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas also joined them,
Mick Schumacher of Haas and Pierre Gasly of AlphaTauri were also a couple who joined the boycott.
Former world champion Nico Rosberg also joined the decision to boycott social media while Red Bull star Sergio Perez also backed this:
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