LEWIS BEEF WITH VEGAN BACKLASH
LEWIS HAMILTON has hit back at his critics and insisted he will continue to voice his views on the environment.
In a series of Instagram posts last week the Brit, who can wrap up his sixth world title in Mexico on Sunday, urged his 13million followers to go vegan.
Hamilton also sparked concern among the Formula One fraternity by saying he feels “like giving up on everything” because “why bother when the world is such a mess”.
But his former rival Fernando Alonso accused him of hypocrisy, pointing to his extravagant lifestyle and globe-trotting exploits.
Hamilton insists he is right to speak of his concerns, saying: “Lots of people have their opinions how I utilise my social media but ultimately it’s my platform and we all have a voice. It’s how you want to use them. “I know it’s not the easiest for me because we’re travelling around the world and racing Formula One cars, our carbon footprint is higher than the average homeowner who lives in the same city.
“But that doesn’t mean you should be afraid to speak out. I’m always looking at how I can improve the effect I’m having on the world.
“It’s something over time I have become more aware of and it takes a while. It’s not a quick fix. It takes time to understand the implications and I think it’s just about education.
“I’m trying to highlight areas, whether people choose to look into those is up to them.
“I’d feel like I wasn’t doing anything positive if I didn’t mention it.”
It was a defiant response from Hamilton, who switched to a plantbased diet in 2017 and in September helped launch a vegan burger restaurant in London.
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel accepted F1 should be more environmentally friendly. The four-time world champion said: “I don’t follow Lewis on Instagram because I’m not active on social media, but I think the point is very clear. We would be ignorant not to deal with this situation.”