McLaren launches probe after employee posts offensive tweets directed at Lewis Hamilton

McLaren on Sunday opened an investigation into one of its employees for making a series of abusive comments about Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton on social media. The investigation was launched after it was discovered that an unnamed McLaren employee had made a series of nasty tweets directed at Hamilton on Twitter and Facebook. The above-mentioned staff member's social media accounts have now been removed, according to the Daily Mail.

In one of the posts, the McLaren employee had reportedly abused Hamilton after he was honoured with a knighthood. In another post, the unnamed staff member made a disparaging remark in the comment section of a tweet from the official Formula One account that included Hamilton. In a separate post, the employee verbally abused the seven-time champion after he failed to qualify for the Brazilian Grand Prix in November last year. 

After the posts came to light on Friday, the private social media handles belonging to the staff member were removed. McLaren took to Twitter to announce that an investigation has been launched into the matter, saying that the comments made by its employee were completely at odds with the company's values and culture. McLaren also promised to prioritise the investigation and reach a conclusion as soon as possible.  

"We consider these comments to be completely at odds with our values and culture at McLaren. We take the matter extremely seriously and are investigating it as a priority," McLaren wrote on Twitter. 

Notably, Hamilton was part of the McLaren crew from 2007 to 2012 before he made a move to Mercedes. The 37-year-old won his first Formula One World Championship title in 2008 while racing for McLaren. The British team has not won a single title since Hamilton's heroics in 2008. 

Lewis Hamilton in 2022

Lewis Hamilton finished 13th in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola on Sunday. He is presently seventh in the Drivers' Championship with 28 points, 58 points behind the current leader, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. George Russell, Lewis Hamilton's teammate, is presently fourth in the driver standings. In the current situation, questions have been raised as to whether Lewis Hamilton will remain with Mercedes beyond the current season.

Image: MercedesF1/Instagram