Lewis Hamilton has hit back at his critics and insisted he will continue to voice his controversial views on the environment.
The Brit, who can wrap up his sixth world title in Mexico this weekend, urged his fans to go vegan last week in a series of posts to his 13million Instagram followers.
Hamilton also sparked concern among the Formula One fraternity after saying he feels “like giving up on everything” as “why bother when the world is such a mess”.
But his views were slammed by former F1 rival Fernando Alonso, who accused Hamilton of hypocrisy due to his extravagant lifestyle and globe-trotting exploits.
Now Mercedes star Hamilton has broken his silence on the saga, saying he feels it is his right to speak about his concerns – whether or not people like it.
(Image: Getty Images)
“Lots of people have their opinions how I utilise my social media, but ultimately it’s my platform and we all have a voice,” said Hamilton.
“It’s how you want to use them. I know it’s not the easiest for me because we are travelling around the world and racing Formula One cars, our carbon footprint is higher than the average homeowner who lives in the same city.
“But that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to speak out about things. I’m always looking at things and how I can improve the effect that I’m having on the world.
“It’s something over time I have become more aware of and it takes a while. It’s not a quick fix. It takes time to understand the implications and I think it just about education.
“I’m trying to highlight areas, whether people choose to look into those is up to them.
“I’d feel like I wasn’t doing anything positive if I didn’t mention it.”
(Image: Getty Images)
It was a defiant response from Hamilton, who switched to a plant-based diet in 2017 and in September he helped launch a vegan burger restaurant in London.
And his current rivals rallied behind him, with Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel admitting that F1 should be more environmentally friendly.
The four-time world champion said: “I don’t follow Lewis on Instagram because I’m not active on social media, but I think the point is very clear. We would be ignorant not to deal with this situation.
“For our part it is difficult to be accepted from the outside, because we travel and the races are all over the world. In general, Formula One needs to do more, we have a worldwide distribution, we must send a positive message.
“I personally believe that anyone can contribute minimally, and the difference would be enormous. It is inevitable that change will come and we hope it will happen as soon as possible.”
Hamilton will secure a sixth world title on Sunday if he out-scores team-mate Valtteri Bottas by at least 14 points.
