Lewis Hamilton has come out with a strong defence of Sky Sports F1 pundit Naomi Schiff, after she was abused by online trolls criticising and questioning her work at last weekend's F1 meet in Baku.
It is just the latest case in a common theme of female sports reporters being abused and their credentials questioned purely because of their sex.
Thankfully athletes with such influence as Hamilton have come out in supports of them, although as Schiff points out, there is still a long way to go in the fight against sexism in sport.
Hamilton expressed his views via Twitter where he said,
"Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team. She's been a great asset since joining and we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms. Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport."
Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team. She’s been a great asset since joining & we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms. Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport. https://t.co/E6U7zX4XqI
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 14, 2022
Sexism In F1
Schiff wrote a response of her own after the incident where she thanked those who came to her defence and stated that she would not be discouraged by the the critics.
"Thank you to everyone who has come to my defence,' he wrote. 'I appreciate all the love and support, none of you go unnoticed! Sadly the issue of online bullying, bashing, shaming etc is one I don't believe is going anywhere anytime soon. Social media, in some cases, gives voices to individuals who don't deserve to be heard. So I encourage anyone reading this to not indulge in it or retaliate or seek revenge.
"Remember that your words do have impact and that therefore we should do something positive with these platforms and be kind to one another. Lastly, I love my job and won't let anyone turn down my ambition or passion because they are uncomfortable with the volume."
— Naomi Schiff Racing (@NaomiSchiff) June 14, 2022
F1 resumes this Friday with practice for the Canadian Grand Prix before the main race on Sunday.
SEE ALSO: F1: What Baku Taught Us About The Faltering Giants At Mercedes
