The global reach of a sport like Formula 1 has afforded the drivers a massive platform. That being said, in today’s day and age, it isn’t employed by them to boost their own stock. Rather, the drivers of today are very keen on speaking up about things that matter to them, topics that are close to their hearts, and issues they want to raise awareness about. The same kind of reach, or greater even, is afforded by soccer stars. Ex-Barcelona and England star, Gary Lineker and 7x Formula 1 champion, Lewis Hamilton tried to preach free speech. But fans were quick to point out the hypocrisy.

Fresh from the Mercedes team launch, Hamilton gave an interview. The Guardian quoted him as saying, “It doesn’t surprise me, but nothing will stop me from speaking on the things that I feel that I’m passionate about and issues that there are. I feel the sport does have a responsibility, always, to speak out on things.” Even Lineker reposted the tweet from his Twitter handle and captioned it, “Well played @LewisHamilton No point having a huge platform if you don’t use it for good. Free speech and all …”

But the fans on Twitter were having none of that. As soon as both tweets went viral, fans swarmed the social media platform to point out the hypocrisy in Lineker’s statements.

Fans react as Gary Lineker shows double standards while supporting Lewis Hamilton

The internet has a very sharp memory. That being said, when Gary Lineker tried supporting the 7x champion, the fans dug into his past to highlight the double standards allegedly shown by both Lineker and Hamilton. One fan even commented, “Drive the f**king car Sam smith, or quit for politics.”

Let’s look at just a few fan reactions to Lineker’s tweet.

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As it turns out, Lineker was busted as a part of a nationwide crackdown on tax evasion. Fans were quick to point that out.

Safe to say, fans weren’t really pleased with Lineker who was actually an alumnus of Lionel Messi‘s old team.

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What did you make out of this whole fiasco? Was Hamilton correct in demanding more free speech for the drivers? And is Gary Lineker out of line given his past record?