F1 Hamilton’s U-turn over ‘anti-vax’ post
LEWIS Hamilton yesterday insisted he is not an anti-vaxxer after sharing a controversial post which appeared to attack Bill Gates’ efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine.
The Formula 1 world champion’s post – sent to his 18.3million followers on Instagram – featured a photo of Microsoft billionaire Gates being interviewed on TV about vaccine progress, accompanied by the caption: ‘I remember when I told my first lie.’
Gates has been a key figure in the race to find a vaccine for Covid-19 and a target for anti-vax conspiracy theories. Hamilton, 35, took the post down after facing a torrent of criticism on social media. He put out a statement claiming his position had been ‘misinterpreted’ and insisted he was in favour of a vaccine.
The six-times F1 champion wrote: ‘I’ve noticed some comments on my earlier post about the coronavirus vaccine and want to clarify my thoughts on it as I understand why they might have been misinterpreted.’
In reference to the ‘first lie’ caption, he said: ‘Firstly, I hadn’t actually seen the comment attached so that is totally my fault and I have a lot of respect for the charity work Bill Gates does. I also want to be clear that I am not against a vaccine and no doubt it will be important in the fight against coronavirus and I’m hopeful for its development to save lives.’
The Gates interview video was originally posted online by comedian Andrew Bachelor and shared with his 19.7million followers.
Hamilton, who had been accused of promoting ‘anti-vax nonsense’, said: ‘I may not always get my posting right. I’m only human but I’m learning as we go.’
In the interview, Gates rubbished conspiracy theories that he wanted to embed tracking chips into a vaccine.