Lewis Hamilton is under contract with Mercedes and he’s getting paid an estimated $50 million a year for it. Context is important, because here is Hamilton urging his followers to start leading greener lives by switching to an electric car, like the upcoming Mercedes EQS.
A recent post from the Formula One champ is raising eyebrows and earning him harsh criticism even from his fans. You will find it at the bottom of the page, but in a nutshell, the problem is this: Hamilton, a multi-millionaire with a packed garage and his own private jet, is lecturing his fans about the importance of embracing EVs, while selling an upcoming electric car that will retail at around $100,000.
You can see Hamilton’s message in the Instagram below: it’s basically him saying we should all give our lifestyle a good hard look and think of ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. For him, it’s by using an EV whenever he’s not on track, sticking to a plant-based diet and carbon offsetting. Every little change can make a difference, he says. He’s also heaping on the praise for the EQS, which he calls his “dream car” and says he can’t wait for it to be released.
The hypocrisy runs deep in this post and, implicitly, Hamilton’s stance, his own fans are telling him. “Says the race car driver,” “You own a private jet, bro” and “Are you a clown?” are among the most polite reactions, all of them pointing to Hamilton’s huge carbon footprint. The fact that Hamilton owns a private jet that he often flies – even to ferry his dogs across the world when they start missing each other, which is an endearing story but with terrible consequences for the environment – is not helping.
Neither is the fact that his garage is packed with gas-guzzlers. Hamilton owns a McLaren P1, a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427, a Ford Shelby Mustang GT500, a Ferrari LaFerrari and a 599 Aperta, the Pagani Zonda 760, and several other Mercedeses. And another EV, the Vision Mercedes Maybach 6.
In short, his fans feel like he’s talkin’ the talk but not really walkin’ the walk, so they’re calling him out.
That said, the controversy most likely stems from regular people’s understanding of what a celebrity role model is, which is often different from how the celebrities themselves see it. Even the greenest celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s always driving electric or riding bikes when he’s out and about, won’t give up their A-list lifestyle for the sake of the planet. DiCaprio, for one, usually takes an extended private superyacht cruise around the world every year with his wolf pack, and he always flies private.
Celebrities, they’rejust like completely different from us. But, as they say, every little change matters, so maybe that’s the point?
You can see Hamilton’s message in the Instagram below: it’s basically him saying we should all give our lifestyle a good hard look and think of ways we can reduce our carbon footprint. For him, it’s by using an EV whenever he’s not on track, sticking to a plant-based diet and carbon offsetting. Every little change can make a difference, he says. He’s also heaping on the praise for the EQS, which he calls his “dream car” and says he can’t wait for it to be released.
The hypocrisy runs deep in this post and, implicitly, Hamilton’s stance, his own fans are telling him. “Says the race car driver,” “You own a private jet, bro” and “Are you a clown?” are among the most polite reactions, all of them pointing to Hamilton’s huge carbon footprint. The fact that Hamilton owns a private jet that he often flies – even to ferry his dogs across the world when they start missing each other, which is an endearing story but with terrible consequences for the environment – is not helping.
Neither is the fact that his garage is packed with gas-guzzlers. Hamilton owns a McLaren P1, a 1966 Shelby Cobra 427, a Ford Shelby Mustang GT500, a Ferrari LaFerrari and a 599 Aperta, the Pagani Zonda 760, and several other Mercedeses. And another EV, the Vision Mercedes Maybach 6.
In short, his fans feel like he’s talkin’ the talk but not really walkin’ the walk, so they’re calling him out.
That said, the controversy most likely stems from regular people’s understanding of what a celebrity role model is, which is often different from how the celebrities themselves see it. Even the greenest celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, who’s always driving electric or riding bikes when he’s out and about, won’t give up their A-list lifestyle for the sake of the planet. DiCaprio, for one, usually takes an extended private superyacht cruise around the world every year with his wolf pack, and he always flies private.
Celebrities, they’re