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Lewis Hamilton has come out in support of Vinicius Junior after the Real Madrid star accused Gianluca Prestianni of racist abuse in Tuesday's Champions League clash.
Madrid secured the win in Lisbon due to a stunning goal from Vinicius; however, the victory was overshadowed by an altercation in which Prestianni has been accused of directing a racist remark to the Brazilian, who then informed the referee.
The match was paused for 10 minutes as UEFA followed their three-step racism protocol before the match concluded in a hostile atmosphere.
Prestianni, 20, has denied directing racist abuse at Vinicius, noting, "I want to clarify that at no time did I direct racist insult to Vini Jr., who regrettably misunderstood what he thought he heard."
Meanwhile, following the match, the 25-year-old turned to his Instagram account to note that "racists are, above all, cowards", with teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold calling the incident "a disgrace to football".
A day after the incident, Hamilton turned to his Instagram Stories to show his support of the young Brazilian, as he stated, "We're with you, @vinijr."
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The British driver, who became F1's first Black driver when he joined the sport in 2007, had previously voiced his support for Vinicius in 2023 when he was subjected to racist chants in a LaLiga game in Valencia.
Notably, UEFA, European football's governing body, shared that they are currently reviewing Tuesday night's incident.
