The sports minister, Gerry Sutcliffe, is to write to his Spanish counterpart to express his anger after the racist taunting of the British driver Lewis Hamilton by spectators over the weekend.
Spain has been threatened with losing both of its formula one grand prix races because of the racial insults and the sport’s governing body, the FIA, said yesterday that the abuse aimed at Hamilton, formula one’s first black driver, during testing at the Barcelona circuit could result in sanctions. "We are going to be writing to the national sporting authorities in Spain on what happened over the weekend and off of that report we will be deciding on what steps will be taken," a spokesman said.
The Spanish motor sports federation yesterday issued a stinging condemnation of fans who racially abused McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton at the weekend and declared its "absolute repulsion" at the incidents in Barcelona.
A number of spectators aimed gestures and shouted racist abuse at the 23-year-old at the Circuit de Catalunya on Saturday. One group of young men wore wigs, dark makeup and T-shirts with the words "Hamilton’s family" written on them.
The circuit said yesterday that it is considering legal action against the spectators involved in the racist taunts. The Spanish grand prix is scheduled to take place at the track on April 27, and Valencia hosts the European grand prix on August 24, though these are both now in doubt.
Hamilton, who is unpopular in Spain following his acrimonious rivalry with his Spanish former teammate Fernando Alonso last year, said: "The truth is that I feel somewhat sad. I am in love with this country, and especially Barcelona and this circuit, one of my three favorites."
Sutcliffe said he would write to his counterpart to express his concern. "Racism should not be tolerated and this is not the first time British sportsmen have been racially abused in Spain," he said. He said he would also ask the FIA what action it planned to take. "I am also going to write to the Spanish sports minister to express our ongoing concern."
Piara Powar, director of the anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out, blamed the Spanish authorities for failing to respond to previous incidents of racism in sport. In November 2004 a number of leading black England footballers were subjected to monkey chants during a friendly with Spain. A month earlier the Spanish team coach, Luis Aragonés, was fined, but later cleared, after calling the French striker Thierry Henry a "black shit".
"The Spain-England game was an absolute fudge," said Powar. "The issue around that was the abuse of Thierry Henry by Luis Aragonés – again, an issue that was fudged by the international authorities."
There has been growing concern expressed by Spanish anti-racism groups and a number of recent attacks on foreigners have received widespread press coverage. A spokeswoman for Barcelona-based anti-racism group SOS Racismo said the racist abuse of Hamilton was the "physical manifestation of what is going on in society in general".