LEWIS HAMILTON has appeared to defend Max Verstappen after the Dutchman confirmed he was boycotting Sky Sports indefinitely.
World champion Verstappen, 25, and the rest of his Red Bull team are refusing interviews with Sky after reporter Ted Kravitz implied he "robbed" Hamilton of the F1 title last year.
On the last lap of the final race of the 2021 season, Verstappen passed Hamilton in controversial circumstances to claim a dramatic first title of his career.
Now, just weeks on from securing a second championship in much more straightforward fashion, he has begun a war of words with Sky Sports, accusing them of fuelling negativity online.
He said: "At the moment, social media is a very toxic place. And if you are constantly being like that, live on TV, you make it only worse instead of trying to make it better in the world.
"You keep being… You keep disrespecting me, and one point I'm not tolerating it any more, so that's why I decided to stop answering."
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In response, Hamilton, who many felt was unfairly treated during the 2021 finale, has surprisingly supported Verstappen's point.
As reported by The Express, he said: "Yeah, I think social media is getting more and more toxic as the years go on.
"I think we should probably get off it, ultimately. So many people… mental health is such a prominent thing right now.
"I know so many people reading their comments and the stuff that people say and it is hurtful.
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“Fortunately, I don't read that stuff but the media platforms definitely need to do more to protect people, particularly young kids and women.
"But at the moment, they're not doing that so I think it will just continue."
Kravitz's comments came after Verstappen passed Hamilton late on to win the United States Grand Prix in Texas.
It denied the seven-time champion a first win of 2022, with Verstappen then going on to break the season record for most victories at the Mexican GP seven days later – where he claimed a 14th win of the year.
After the American race, Kravitz said: "[Hamilton] doesn't win a race all year, and then finally comes back at a track where he could win the first race all year, battling the same guy who won the race he was robbed in the previous year, and manages to finish ahead of him."
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He then went on to add: "What a script and a story that would have been. But that's not the way the script turned out today, was it?
"Because the guy that beat him after being robbed actually overtook him, because he's got a quicker car, because of engineering and Formula 1 and design, and pretty much because of [Adrian Newey, Red Bull's Chief Technical Officer] over there."
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