SAO PAULO, Brazil — Formula One title favorite Lewis Hamilton has been the target of racist messages at a website aimed at encouraging his failure in the decisive Brazilian Grand Prix on Sunday.
The website (Burst Hamilton’s Tires) asks visitors to place images of pins, nails and porcupines on the Interlagos track to try to keep F1’s first black driver from finishing Sunday’s race.
Visitors are invited to “leave a message to Hamilton,” and many of them are full of racism and obscenities.
The website says, in Spanish, that “Hamilton cannot finish the race” and “We want Hamilton to lose.”
Formula One’s governing body condemned the website, according to Brazilian media, saying that it is against any act of “discrimination and prejudice.” FIA this year launched an anti-racism campaign after Spanish fans taunted Hamilton during testing in Spain.
Hamilton last year was at odds with Spain’s two-time world champion Fernando Alonso when they raced for McLaren.
Hamilton enters the final race of the year with a chance to win his first title and become F1’s youngest champion at age 23. He has a seven-point advantage over Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and can win the championship by finishing fifth or better Sunday.
Meanwhile, Alonso said he’s thrilled with his ride for 2009, though he won’t reveal contract details until after Sunday’s race.
“(I’m) very happy,” the Renault driver said Thursday.
Whether he stays at Renault or moves to another team has been one of the most anticipated decisions of the year.
“With Alonso’s indecision, other teams tend to wait too,” teammate Nelson Piquet Jr. said.
The son of three-time world champion Nelson Piquet might lose his ride if Alonso stays at Renault. If the Spaniard moves to Honda, for example, Rubens Barrichello might have to find another ride.
Alonso enters the Brazilian GP sixth in the standings with 53 points, 41 behind leader Hamilton, but leads his teammate Piquet Jr. by 34 points.
Alonso won both his F1 titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006 before moving to McLaren last year. But after being at odds with Hamilton and team principal Ron Dennis, Alonso moved back to Renault for this season.
Crawford wins Texas pole
FORT WORTH, Texas — Rick Crawford earned the pole position, while Kyle Busch qualified third for tonight’s Chevy Silverado 350K in a truck that was salvaged two nights earlier from a hauler fire that destroyed the team’s primary truck and a lot of equipment.
The Associated Press
