It is absurd to think that in a sport like Formula 1, where drivers risk their lives every time they get into the car, there are people who take pleasure in wishing them harm. This time, the target of online haters is Lando Norris, “guilty” only of driving a competitive car.
A shocking video has surfaced on TikTok in which a user threatens the McLaren driver. The clip is made even more macabre by a disgusting comparison to Jules Bianchi. The images of the tragic accident that took the French driver’s life during that terrible Japanese Grand Prix eleven years ago remain difficult to forget.
“The performance we would all like to see from Lando Norris at Suzuka,” reads the horrifying video. This is not the first time the British driver has received such threats, and he spoke about it a few years ago: “Every now and then, I receive death threats. People don’t talk about it enough, and it’s tough.”
Online hate is, unfortunately, a cowardly practice that continues to spread, affecting both public figures and ordinary people. The abhorrent comparison to Jules Bianchi is not only beyond the limits of basic human decency but also reopens a still-raw wound.
In 2014, the Halo, the innovative head protection system in Formula 1, had yet to be introduced. The loss of Jules Bianchi, who passed away the following year after nine months in a coma, awakened the sport’s conscience three decades after the deaths of Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger at Imola. In 2018, the Halo made its debut in Formula 1 and has since saved the lives of many drivers on track.
It seems unthinkable and disgraceful to continue making death threats against any professional simply because they are not among our favorites. Lando Norris may or may not be liked, but such intimidation is absolutely unacceptable—especially when it involves playing with people’s lives.
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