Fernando Alonso Dodges a Bullet as Lewis Hamilton Was Forced to Apologize for Similar Racist Insinuation 13 Years Back

Outside the F1 track, Lewis Hamilton‘s fight against racism is one that has always been noticeable. However, when Fernando Alonso insinuated he was being discriminated against for being Spanish after his old rival was left unpunished during Miami GP’s Sprint Race, fans exploded. Bombarding tweets were dished out, as FIA remained silent through it all. It brings back distant memories, of when Lewis Hamilton was given different treatment in the past in a similar matter.

Fernando Alonso dodges a penalty, while Lewis Hamilton was made to apologize for a similar accusation when he had called the FIA racist.

FIA lets Fernando Alonso’s racist accusations slide after having made Lewis Hamilton apologize

The instance in question takes us back to 2011. During the Monaco GP in 2011, Lewis Hamilton found himself in an unfortunate P6 result, despite being a leading force during qualifying. The only reason behind his poor finish? FIA had handed him a penalty in Q3 that set him back during the race. At the time, Lewis Hamilton called out the stewards, going on to say, as per The Guardian, “It’s an absolute frickin’ joke. I’ve been to see the stewards five times out of six [grands prix] this season … Maybe it’s because I’m black.” 

Hamilton privately corresponded with then-FIA President Jean Todt for his actions, apologizing for making the accusations. While Hamilton had immediately gone to the stewards after the incident, Fernando Alonso went to the current FIA President instead, Mohammed Ben Sulayem. He insists he must protect any future Spanish driver from such treatment.

Whether Alonso apologized remains a mystery, but the FIA remains silent on the matter. It is also important to mention that despite Fernando Alonso’s accusations, the stewards dished out a penalty for Lewis Hamilton for speeding in the pitlane.

Hamilton suffers from Toto Wolff’s car issues at the Miami GP

The penalty for speeding in the pitlane was the least of Lewis Hamilton’s struggles in Miami. Similar to the entire season, Lewis Hamilton continues the same story at Miami as was in other races during the season. Despite what looks like a promising update or track, Mercedes fails to give Hamilton the car he needs to compete among top teams.

Starting in P8, behind his teammate, Lewis Hamilton will hope to replicate some of the Sprint magic. With his dive to the inside of Turn 1, Hamilton secured a positive start, which ensured he finished in the top 8, even though he did not score points after receiving a penalty.

With his move to Ferrari secured, Lewis Hamilton will be counting days until he can move to the Scuderia and reignite his efforts for an 8th world championship.