F1 marshal who wished Lewis Hamilton fiery crash forced to quit Saudi Arabian GP

An F1 fire marshal for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix has been forced to withdraw after his previous tweets wishing Lewis Hamilton a fiery crash surfaced. The unnamed marshal, identified only by his Twitter handle @Heem4u, has apologized for his actions and has announced that he has withdrawn from this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

In a statement posted on Twitter, he wrote:

“I offer my apologies to the Saudi Motorsports and Motorcycle Federation, and for the driver Lewis Hamilton. As for my previous tweet, I announce my withdrawal from the ring.”

In a now-deleted tweet that was widely circulated on social media, @Heem4u, while replying to another tweet discussing Lewis Hamilton had written the following:

“I hope he [Lewis Hamilton] has an accident like Roman (sic) accident in Bahrain."

The tweets instantly drew alarm from F1 fans across the world, with many calling for the marshal’s immediate removal.

The marshal was referring to former Haas F1 driver Romain Grosjean’s horrific crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. The Frenchman’s car split in half and caught on fire after a 30G impact with the barriers.

Furthermore, Grosjean was unable to quickly get himself out of his car after his chassis penetrated the barriers obstructing his way out of the cockpit. Against difficult odds, and with some help from the medical car crew, Grosjean was finally able to escape from his burning car but suffered third-degree burns to his hands.

Incredibly, the Frenchman returned to racing soon after, despite his horrific experience, and went on to take a pole position in the hyper-competitive IndyCar series.

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Lewis Hamilton “prominent” among drivers who expressed concerns over racing in Jedda

Lewis Hamilton was reportedly prominent among a small group of drivers who expressed concerns over F1’s decision to continue racing in Jedda following a rebel attack on the outskirts of Jedda.

An Aramco fuel storage facility some 22 km away from the track was targeted by a missile attack between first and second practice on Friday, the smoke from which was visible from the track.

Following the attack, drivers and teams expressed safety concerns and questioned F1’s decision to continue racing. In a discussion that dragged on for hours, many drivers reportedly threatened to boycott the race. According to motorsport.com, Hamilton was one of the most prominent voices of dissent.

Following assurances from F1 and senior military figures from the Saudi government, however, drivers and teams were satisfied and agreed to continue racing.

Hamilton was previously unhappy with F1 racing in Saudi Arabia due to the country’s questionable human rights record. He has been vocally supportive of marginal communities while in the country.