Lewis Hamilton targeted by racists in Spain

A Spanish website called Pincha la Rueda de Hamilton – “Burst Hamilton’s Tyre” – that encourages visitors to leave virtual nails on the track at Interlagos to stop Hamilton becoming world champion at the Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday, is full of racist and personal abuse directed at the 23-year-old.

Among the comments left by some of the 27,000-plus visitors to the site, which was launched this time last year when Hamilton was battling for the drivers’ championship with Fernando Alonso, the Spaniard who was his McLaren Mercedes teammate at the time, are people referring to Hamilton as “n*****”, “half-breed” and “son of a b****”. One, calling himself Carillo, tells Hamilton: “Half-breed, kill yourself in your car.” A message from a man called Alberto says: “I hope you run over your dad in the first pitstop, Hamilton.” In another posting, Charly writes: “If you don’t get a puncture, then Massa will crash into you.”

The website suggests that, if enough people participate, placing either nails, drawing pins or, bizarrely, porcupines on the track, they will be able to “will” punctures to occur to Hamilton’s car, in a similar way to voodoo practitioners sticking pins in an effigy.