Lewis Hamilton: Fernando Alonso flames F1 rival for environmental hypocrisy

Lewis Hamilton

Alonso flames Hamilton for environmental hypocrisy

Fernando has his say.

Matthew Scott

Wednesday 23 October 2019 11:45

Fernando Alonso has called out Lewis Hamilton's public proclamations regarding the environment, which he believes are hypocritical given the Mercedes star's involvement in Formula 1.

Hamilton recently posted on Instagram that he was considering "giving up" as he was so exasperated at the state of the climate crisis, and regularly champions environmental causes and his vegan lifestyle on Instagram.

The reigning world champion's recent claim that eating meat was killing the planet caught widespread flak, with accusations of hypocrisy thrown at Hamilton for flying in a private jet, owning multiple cars and, of course, racing in Formula 1, which remains committed to burning fossil fuels through to 2024 at least.

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And Alonso, Hamilton's rookie-year team-mate, says the Briton might have been better off holding back.

"My eating habits or my ideas, I think I keep it to myself," Alonso told Cadena Cope.

"I would never release the message that Lewis released, for example, because you can't send a message and then do the opposite the next day.

"We all know the lifestyle that he can lead or that I can take, that we can take as Formula 1 drivers who take 200 planes a year, and then you can't say, 'don't eat meat'."

Alonso's latest fashion line is made of recycled plastic and will raise funds for Mission Blue, an organisation set up to try and protect the oceans from pollution.

The Spaniard believes actions, such as his, speak louder than words.

"I believe that with plastics in the ocean, the images we see, donating in full all the benefits of a collection or an auction or whatever it is for organisations brings much more than anything we can say."