After more than two weeks of social media silence from Formula One’s social media star, Lewis Hamilton has returned to the internet, sharing a photo of himself on top of a mountain with a snowboard in hand.
Just before the start of the new year, Lewis Hamilton’s Instagram and Twitter accounts were wiped clean, with all content having been deleted. The reaction was likely due to the public outcry after Hamilton shared a video of himself mocking his nephew for wearing a princess dress on Christmas. The video went viral, catching the attention of many online critics.
His more than 5 million social media fans and followers heard nothing from Hamilton since the purging of his social media account. The most intact account is his Facebook page, which is noticeably less active than his other social media accounts.
In addition to his social media absence, Hamilton also skipped out on an IWC event in Geneva, although ad on his Instagram account shows that he is still connected to the watch company. It was revealed by Mercedes that Hamilton was ill and unable to travel to the event, despite the photo of him enjoying the peaks.
Hamilton is widely regarded as the sport’s biggest social media sensation and a huge online promoter for the sport. However, this isn’t the first time that Hamilton has been shamed for his social media activities. Two years ago the Brit landed himself in hot water with FOM over some video footage shot from inside the paddock, a forbidden area to film. Prior to that he also found himself in trouble for taking a selfie while riding a motorcycle in New Zealand, violating the country’s laws regarding cell phone usage while driving.
