Wolff calls for ‘robust answer’ to racism, not just ‘Instagram posts’

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Toto Wolff has urged his rival teams to take a “robust position” on racism, not just a “few Instagram posts” supporting Lewis Hamilton.

Formula 1 has been hit by not one but two incidents of racism in recent weeks, Juri Vips dropped from the Red Bull junior driver programme after using a racial slur during a live feed while triple World Champion Nelson Piquet has been reportedly banned from the F1 paddock for racially abusing Hamilton.

The 69-year-old Brazilian was quick to apologise, saying he did not mean to offend the Mercedes driver.

“The term used is a term that has been widely and historically used colloquially in the Portuguese language in Brazil as a colloquial synonym of ‘guy’ or ‘nobody’, and that it was never intended to offend,” he said.

But while Piquet apologised, Hamilton says the time for learning has past, action must now to taken as the seven-time World Champion has had to deal with racism throughout his career.

“I’ve been on the receiving end of of racism and criticism and that negativity and archaic narratives for a long long time, and undertones of discrimination, so there’s nothing really particularly new for me,” he said in Thursday’s British GP driver press conference.

Wolff, whose wife Susie raced with Hamilton in karting, told ITV that the abuse is nothing new.

“I know from experiences from my wife who raced with him that he was literally called all the words you don’t want to hear today,” the Mercedes motorsport boss told ITV