Lewis Hamilton is being hounded by football-style F1 ultras who torch his Mercedes team’s merchandise before races.The sport’s bosses are worried by the increasingly aggressive behaviour of an army of uber-fans and have launched a campaign to drive out abuse.
Video footage has emerged of orange-clad supporters of championship leader and rival Red Bull driver Max Verstappen burning Mercedes products at race tracks.One man was filmed laughing as he set fire to one of the motor company’s caps in the crowd at a drivers’ pre-race meet-the-fans session.
The mob were heard cheering after seven-time world champion Lewis, 37, crashed during qualifying for the recent Austrian Grand Prix.READ MORE: Christian Horner has animals named after F1 bosses and Spice Girls songsThe meeting was marred by reports of shocking crowd behaviour - including allegations of racism, sexism and homophobia.
Several female Lewis fans dressed in Mercedes shirts complained they had been harassed by Dutch supporters.Mercedes chiefs fear Hamilton will face more hostility at the Dutch Grand Prix next month - which is viewed as Verstappen’s home race.
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