Lewis Hamilton Voices Support For Vinicius Jr. After Alleged Racism Incident In Real Madrid's Win Against Benfica

Real Madrid secured a 1-0 win in Lisbon against Benfica in a Champions League playoff, with Vinicius Jr.'s goal separating the two sides. The match, however, was marred by controversy after Vinicius Jr. alleged that he was racially abused by Gianluca Prestianni after he scored the goal in the 50th minute of the match.

The match was also paused for 10 minutes by the referee to follow UEFA's three-step racism protocol, before the match concluded with the Los Blancos securing a win in the second leg. Additionally, the Real Madrid players were also jeered throughout the match by the home crowd. UEFA released a statement on February 18, 2026, claiming that they were looking into the matter and would react accordingly once they reached a verdict.

After the incident, F1 star Lewis Hamilton showed his support for the Real Madrid winger on his social media.

ALSO READ- Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni Denies Racially Insulting Real Madrid's Vinícius Jr In Champions League Game

Lewis Hamilton Shows Support For Vinicius Jr.

Lewis Hamilton came in support for Vinicius Jr. after the Real Madrid player was allegedly abused racially in their clash against Benfica. While Benfica and Gianluca Prestianni have denied Vinicius's claims, the winger has remained steadfast with his claims, with support from Kylian Mbappé and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Lewis Hamilton took to Instagram story and wrote, "We’re with you, Vini Jr." on an image featuring the Real Madrid player.

This is not the first time that the F1 driver has come out to support Vinicius against racial abuse. He had previously described abuse directed at Vinicius as “devastating”, after the Brazil international was subject to racist chants in a LaLiga game in Valencia in 2023.

ALSO READ- UEFA Issue Official Statement On Vinicius Jr.'s Racism Claims Against Benfica Player During Real Madrid's Champions League Clash

Vinicius Jr. Calls Gianluca Prestianni A Coward

After the goal in the 50th minute, Gianluca Prestianni was seen pulling his shirt over his mouth and saying something to Vinicius, following which, the latter rushed toward the referee to complain about the alleged abuse.

Vinicius then took to his social media and called the Benfica player a coward for not having the guts to uncover his mouth and say what he wanted to say without hiding.