Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton declared in an Instagram post on Wednesday he worried about the “extinction of our race” if humans kept eating animals.
“I’m sad right now with the thought of where this world is going,” wrote Hamilton in a post he later took down.
The 32-year-old is on course for a sixth world title after finishing third in the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday. He leads Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas by 64 points with four races left. The next Grand Prix is in Mexico on October 27.
The five-time Formula One world champion urged his readers to “do some research”, “find compassion” and prevent “deforestation, animal cruelty, our seas and climate decaying.”
“Go Vegan, it is the only way to truly save our planet,” Hamilton said on his Instagram page, where videos of cruelty to animals sit alongside pictures of Hamilton modelling clothes, posing with fast cars, celebrating victories or with his dog.
But he was not optimistic concluding: “Honestly I feel like giving up on everything. Shut down completely. Why bother when the world is such a mess and people don’t seem to care. I’m going to take a moment away to gather my thoughts. Thank you to all of you who give a damn about the world.”