Hamilton removes social media response to Red Bull's Helmut Marko alleged comments

Six-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has deleted social media posts that had criticised Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

A website had reported Marko as saying on German tv station RTL that "some drivers are distracted, talking about lives which matter," and that "the only thing that matters to Max [Verstappen] is the world championship".

The comments suggested Hamilton was more concerned about the anti-racism Black Lives Matter campaign, on which he has been vocal on social media, than on this year's impending Formula 1 season.

The website concerned has subsequently pulled the article and has declared these quotes to have been fake, with the original source not RTL, but a fake social media account.

But that was not before Hamilton had denounced Marko via posts on his Instagram and Twitter pages to his millions of followers, comments which he has also now taken down.

At the time, Hamilton's response read: "Helmut, it deeply saddens me that you consider fighting for equal treatment of black people and people of colour, a distraction. I'm actually quite offended.

"A distraction for me was fans showing up in black face to taunt my family on race weekends. A distraction for me was the unnecessary and additional adversity and unfair treatment I faced as a child, teen, and even now, due to the colour of my skin.

"I hope this speaks volumes to the few people of colour you do have on your team, about your priorities and how you view them. Wake up. This sport needs to change."

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