MP calls for action on Hamilton abuse

Keith Vaz, chairman of the Labour's Ethnic Minority Taskforce, joined the FIA - Formula One's governing body - and the McLaren team, in condemning a Spanish website called pinchalaruedadehamilton (burst Hamilton's tyre), that had gathered nearly 20,000 comments, many of them derogatory to the world championship leader.

Mr Vaz was quoted by a Press Association report as suggesting that the 'voodoo-style' website was set up intentionally to destabilise Hamilton, who is aiming to become F1's youngest ever world champion on Sunday.

"The Spanish government cannot stand back and allow this organised and systematic racism to continue," said Vaz. "These people must be widely condemned and the websites that they use shut down immediately.

"I call upon the Foreign Secretary to make a formal protest to the Spanish government urging them to act on this serious issue that looks set only to escalate if action is not taken now."

The FIA yesterday publicly condemned the site, stating that 'discrimination and prejudice' have no place in sport or society.

A McLaren spokesman subesquently added: "McLaren was one of the earliest supporters of the FIA's 'Every Race' campaign, and we support that campaign still. We've seen today's statement from an FIA spokesman, and we can only echo it."

The domain of the website, which is currently not working, is registered by a marketing company called Tequila Spain.

A note on the site read that 'the website was not responsible for the comments made on it'.