An Invented Tweet
Even in the world of Formula 1, fake news — completely fabricated stories that go viral on social media and lead many to believe they are true — is becoming a serious problem. The most recent case involved Helmut Marko, the longtime consultant for the Red Bull team, who was quoted with statements he supposedly made after the United States Grand Prix a few weeks ago, which, in reality, the Graz-based manager never actually said.
A fan account of Lewis Hamilton had published a tweet claiming Marko had given an interview to Sky Deutschland, where the 81-year-old from Graz allegedly praised the seven-time Formula 1 world champion and said he was “lucky” Lewis Hamilton wasn’t driving for McLaren this year; otherwise, Hamilton would have “already easily won the championship.” However, Helmut Marko never made these statements.
The Debate in the British Media
The tweet, now deleted, went viral and continued to circulate for days, being shared from account to account until it eventually reached two former drivers and well-known TV commentators, Martin Brundle and Damon Hill. Brundle even mentioned it live on Sky Sports F1 with journalist Craig Slater, while the 1996 world champion posted his personal thoughts on Instagram, also assuming Marko’s words were genuine.
The “bubble” burst only in recent days when it became clear that Helmut Marko had never actually made the comments attributed to him in the tweet. This case highlights that even in sports reporting — and specifically in motorsport — one must be cautious of those who, intentionally or not, try to spread false information to distort the truth of the facts.
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