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Lewis Hamilton slammed for spraying Formula One hostess with champagne

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Under fire: Lewis Hamilton sprays champagne in the face of a Formula One hostess.
Under fire: Lewis Hamilton sprays champagne in the face of a Formula One hostess. Photo: Getty Images
Formula One championship leader Lewis Hamilton has been criticised for again spraying champagne over a visibly uncomfortable hostess after claiming victory in the Chinese Grand Prix. 
As Hamilton stood on the top tier of the Shanghai podium on Sunday he unleashed a torrent of champagne straight into the hostess' face to celebrate his victory, the second time he has done so this season. 
The act has been condemned by anti-sexism campaigners as "selfish" and "inconsiderate" who argue it points to the wider culture of sexism in the motor racing world. 
It's the second time Hamilton has soaked a hostess with champagne.
It's the second time Hamilton has soaked a hostess with champagne. Photo: AP
"It is surely a very difficult position to be a grid girl and she would have had little option but to stand there and take it," Rox Hardie, the chief executive of anti-sexism group, Object, told the MailOnline. 
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"That is something of which he [Hamilton] should be aware. But instead, he appears to have abused her position."
"Motor racing appears to unnecessarily portray women as sexualised objects and that probably makes it even harder for the women to stand up for themselves," said Hardie. "We would hope people in the industry would be respectful to these women". 

I thought Formula One was a gentlemanly sport but that photo of Lewis Hamilton opening the champagne bottle onto a woman's head is so AWFUL.

View image on Twitter

Why do I have a feeling she doesn't enjoy getting sprayed by champagne? @LewisHamilton 😂

@LewisHamilton Man please stop spraying Champagne on the Podium Ladies. They don't like it. Congratulations! Stellar drive.👍😎

Since the practice was first adopted in 1967 Formula One drivers on the podium have traditionally only sprayed themselves, teammates and their crews. 
The backlash over Hamilton's victory and another spat with teammate Nico Rosberg over controversial tactics marred Hamilton's second victory with Mercedes in the 2015 season. 
Rosberg accused Hamilton of deliberately slowing down, which enabled rival Sebastian Vettel to get right on top of him. 
"It was unnecessarily close with Sebastian as a result, and also it cost me a lot of race time because I had to cover him. Then my tyres died at the end of the race because my stint was just so much longer, so I'm unhappy about that." 
Hamilton leads the drivers championship with 68 points, 12 points ahead of 2013 champion Sebastian Vettel and 15 ahead of team-mate Rosberg. 
Australia's Daniel Ricciardo once again struggled in the slower Red Bull car to finish ninth on Sunday. He is an eighth place over all in the drivers championship. 
Fairfax Media 
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3 comments so far

  • “
    This has happened for as long as I have known. If you are near the podium when the champagne gets popped, there is a very high chance that your going to get sprayed. Admittedly it shouldn't have been directly in the head.
    Commenter
    Joel
    Location
    Date and time
    April 14, 2015, 10:18AM
    • “
      Joel, did you even look at the very obvious photo at the top of the article, let alone read the article? No kidding that there's a very high chance you're going to get sprayed when somebody sprays it directly into your face at close range without warning!
      Commenter
      Amanda
      Date and time
      April 14, 2015, 1:42PM
  • “
    She shouldn't have been up there at all. Why do pretty women have to stand up there like trophies to hand the men their actual trophies? These women are absolutely placed there as objects for the men to ogle. It's disgusting.
    Commenter
    Amanda
    Date and time
    April 14, 2015, 1:37PM

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