JAKARTA - Lewis Hamilton became the target of racist abuse online after winning the British Grand Prix, social media company Facebook said on Monday that it had removed a number of comments on Instagram.
The seven-times world champion celebrated a record eighth British Grand Prix victory at Silverstone on Sunday after recovering from a 10-second penalty following a first-lap crash that ended with his title rival Max Verstappen being taken to hospital.
Hamilton, the 36-year-old racer, was targeted online hours after the win, with racist messages including a monkey emoji sent in response to posts by his Mercedes team on Instagram.
"Racist abuse directed at Hamilton during and after the British Grand Prix is unacceptable and we have removed a number of comments from Instagram," a spokesperson for Facebook, which owns Instagram, said in a statement.
"In addition to our work to remove comments and accounts that repeatedly violate our rules, there are security features available, including comment filters and message controls, which means no one should see this type of abuse.
"No one will solve this challenge overnight, but we are committed to keeping our community safe from abuse.
"In a joint statement Mercedes, F1 and the motorsports federation FIA condemn the abuse of Hamilton and seek punishment for those who are guilty.
"These people have no place in our sport and we urge those responsible to be held accountable for their actions.
F1, the FIA, drivers and teams are working to build a more diverse and inclusive sport and such unacceptable examples of online abuse must be highlighted and eliminated."
Hamilton has been an outspoken advocate for social justice and among supporters of the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
He said before the race that he was inspired by the reaction of British football players to racist abuse after their penalty shootout loss to Italy in the European Championship final.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with social media companies last week to ask them to step up the fight against online abuse.
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