Currently reading: UPDATED: Racist fans threaten Spanish GP
Lewis Hamilton subjected to racist taunts at Catalunya

Spanish fans shouted racist abuse at British driver, Lewis Hamilton, during the F1 practice session at Circuit de Catalunya last weekend. Though no official action has been taken, the FIA maintains that "abuse of this kind is a clear breach of the principles enshrined in the FIA statutes and any repetition will result in sanctions."However, the director of the Circuit de Catalunya has said that actions will be taken to avoid any further incidents. It was also pointed out that the circuit management took actions to remove the fans responsible for the abuse as soon as it occurred, and McLaren were happy with the actions taken. It has been decided that the circuit will work in conjunction with the Spanish police during the official race weekend, in order to ensure that the behaviour isn't repeated. It doesn't take much to work out that this is a result of the McLaren debacle last year. Many of the Spanish fans believe that their national hero, Fernando Alonso, was pushed out of the team by Hamilton and lost the 2007 championship as a result. Alonso left the team almost as soon as the season was over. He's now been signed to Renault - the team with which he became double world champion. Click here to find out why our F1 expert thinks the FIA should take more serious action.

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Jon Hardcastle 5 February 2008

Re: Racist taunts threaten Spanish GP

What gets me about all this is that someone must have seen these guys walking into the stands all blacked up with scrawled on T shirts. Why were they not stopped?

Incidentally, I was listening to the radio at lunch time where they were talking to a Spanish correspondent who reports on Football. Paul Breen Turner has spent the last twenty years living in Spain, but reports the Spanish attitude to racism is very similar to what it was like in the UK in the early 1970's. It is only in the last 30 years they have had democracy.

He reported that his ex boss ( in the last month) told him to stop commenting on the monkey taunts being dished out to a black player and get on with commentating on the game.

The only real solution to this incident is to ban the race until the Spanish authorities take this sort of thing serious and can demonstrate they have got control of it.

Driving 5 February 2008

Re: Racist taunts threaten Spanish GP

Lets not make this go any lower and move the Grand Prix to Barcelona, period.

T1berious 5 February 2008

Re: Racist taunts threaten Spanish GP

I think the race should be removed from the calendar. I’m stunned that this sort of behaviour is tolerated to the extent that it is in Spain. Then again until international sports are no longer hosted in Spain, this sort of display will continue to happen as there is no punishment being meted out by governing bodies

FIA needs to take a much tougher line.

T1b