Williams’ Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi revealed on Tuesday that he had been the target of death threats for causing the safety car to intervene at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the last of the season. of formula 1.
His accident, five laps from the end of the race, allowed Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) to change his tires, overtake Briton Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) on the last lap, and win the title in stride. .
Latifi explained in a message posted on Twitter as well as on his website that he had been the target of a torrent of insults ever since.
“Remembering the race, as soon as the finish flag was waved, I knew what was going to happen on social media,” the 26-year-old wrote.
“The fact that I thought it was better to delete Instagram and Twitter on my phone for a few days says everything we need to know about the cruelty of the online world,” lamented the Montreal native.
The Mercedes team had lodged an appeal on the outcome of the race and the fight for the title, which was finally withdrawn. But according to his boss Toto Wolff, Lewis Hamilton was “robbed” as he was on his way to winning the Grand Prix and becoming F1 world champion for the eighth time, which would have been a record.
Latifi said he was “shocked” by “the extreme tone of the words, the insults, and even the death threats” received, specifying however that he would let this wave of “negativity” pass.
“I realize that I have little chance of convincing those who have acted this way towards me to change their ways – and that they might even use this message against me – but it is fair to denounce this. kind of behavior and not be silent, ”he emphasizes.