British IndyCar star Callum Ilott has called out fans who sent him death threats after last weekend’s Grand Prix of Long Beach, with the Briton having warned that the online targeting will one day “go too far” for someone to deal with.
Online abuse and death threats are an increasing issue in motorsport, with it nowadays occurring not just in a single series.
Ilott isn’t the first driver to criticise online abuse, with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen having also spoken about it as recently as last year.
Ilott was targeted online after impacting his team-mate’s race, with Agustin Canapino having been bunched into the pack after Ilott emerged from the pits just ahead of him.
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The incident certainly didn’t go down well with Canapino’s fans, who disgustingly targeted Ilott.
Ilott initially shared on Twitter that the number of threats he received was “a new record by far”, before sarcastically adding that he learned “new Spanish words”.
“Genuinely impressed by the amount of death threats and abuse I’ve received,” Ilott wrote on Twitter.
“Definitely a new record by far, really appreciate the effort to help me learn all these new Spanish words. I’m going to the beach now. hasta luego.”
Ilott went on to explain how the “unacceptable” death threats will eventually become too much for somebody to deal with, but that he’s able to deal with the behavior due to having “thick skin”.
“On another note, it’s an important reminder to all new and old fans/people. Respect goes both ways.
“Although I have thick skin and am used to this behaviour occasionally. One day it will go too far to someone who can’t deal with it as well as others. It’s unacceptable on any level and those who encourage it should have a real think about the consequences of their actions.
“But I would like to thank everyone who has supported me, it means a lot.”
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Verstappen previously hit out at online abuse and death threats after his family was targeted, something he labelled as “pretty disgusting”.
“All the things I’ve read is pretty disgusting, even more than that they started attacking my family,” Verstappen said ahead of last season’s Brazilian Grand Prix.
“If you have a problem with me, that’s fine but don’t go after my family because that’s unacceptable.”