A Formula 1 marshal at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit has been dismissed from his duties after tweeting that he hopes Lewis Hamilton “crashes like Romain in Bahrain.”
It’s shaping up to be a weekend to forget for Hamilton, in more ways than one.
The seven-time world champion had been lacking pace throughout the weekend in Saudi Arabia, culminating in him failing to get out of Q1 and qualifying 16th overall.
Not often do you find Hamilton lingering so far down the pecking order, in fact, it’s the first time since he crashed out in the Brazilian Grand Prix of 2017 that he has failed to get out of Q1. But to find a time when he didn’t get out of Q1 due to a sheer lack of pace? Well, then you’re looking back at the British Grand Prix of 2009, in his McLaren days…
An “undriveable car” was the culprit, according to a downbeat Hamilton when speaking to the media in the paddock after, who also suggested that he may “look to start from the pit-lane,” to allow the team to break parc-ferme conditions and make changes to his untameable Mercedes.
However, it’s not just on-track that controversy has consumed the Briton. A tweet made by an official marshal at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit has also been circulating.
The marshal wrote: “I hope he (Hamilton) has an accident like Romain (Grosjean) in Bahrain.”
Grosjean was involved in a horrendous accident at the 2020 Bahrain GP that saw his car sever in two and burst into flames. The Frenchman was lucky to escape with his life.
The FIA were alerted to the tweet on Saturday morning and investigated the account. Ahead of the final practice session on Saturday morning, they told ESPN that the marshal had apologised and would take no further part in the race weekend.
The marshal’s Twitter account, which is no longer public, issued the following apology: “I would like to apologise to SAMF (Saudi Arabian Motorsport Federation) and Lewis and announce my resignation from my duties on track.”
Hamilton hasn’t been shy about sharing his views on racing in the country. He has received a letter from the family of Abdullah al-Howaiti, a teenager currently sitting on death row in Saudi Arabia for alleged crimes he committed when aged 14, asking the Brit to use his influence to help.
“My position is still the same as when I spoke here last year,” Hamilton said on Friday, when asked about racing in Saudi Arabia.
“There’s not really a lot that I can say that’s going to make much of a difference. It’s obviously mind-blowing to hear the stories. I’ve heard that there’s a letter sent to me from a 14-year-old that’s on death row… When you are 14 you don’t know what the hell you are doing in life, so it’s…
“But we don’t decide where we go. I think we are duty-bound to try while we are here [to raise awareness], it’s not necessarily our responsibility when we are brought here, but we try and do what we can.”
