Lewis Hamilton clears his accounts on social media

Little flashback: On this Christmas Eve, Lewis Hamilton posts one of his famous videos with one of his nephews, to whom he is very close. The only difference is that he gently teases the latter, dressed in a princess dress. Laughing, he states, “boys don’t wear princess dresses.”

But this harmless joke ignited the Twitter-sphere, which seemed idle during this end-of-year period, and the four-time world champion found himself at the center of a controversy, facing disparaging comments from many internet users.

Initially, the Briton’s response was to simply remove the video in question and issue a message of apology and regret that his remarks had been misinterpreted. But that was not enough to calm the outraged crowds on social media. They criticized him again for “liking” posts from other users defending his initial post.

The star’s reaction here was much more significant as he has completely wiped his Instagram account, and all his posts since October 2013 have also been removed from his Twitter account. His Facebook page has remained intact, but he hasn’t posted anything since December 25, even though there used to be at least one post every two days in the past.

If this withdrawal continues over time, it could have a financial impact on Lewis Hamilton. Indeed, he significantly valued his media visibility with his personal sponsors, as well as those of his team, Mercedes. Therefore, several of them, Monster Energy, Bose, and Puma, have directly established connections with the driver, in addition to their association with the team.

If he were to extend his period of promotional abstinence on social media for a long period, these brands might be tempted to reconsider their financial contribution. This will be another point to watch when hostilities resume on the track, starting with winter testing.

Moreover, it is interesting to see that this (temporary?) withdrawal of Lewis Hamilton is happening at the same time as one of the drivers most resistant to communication in general and social media in particular, Kimi Räikkönen, has precisely decided to officially join Instagram.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr