SIR LEWIS HAMILTON has defended presenter Naomi Schiff after a troll questioned Sky Sports’ decision to hire the F1 presenter.
Schiff, 28, was appointed as an analyst on Sky Sports F1 show ‘Any Given Monday’, which launched in March 2022.
Naomi Schiff hit back at the troll on Twitter
Lewis Hamilton defended Schiff and said representation in sport should be welcomed
She co-hosts the show, which streams on YouTube, alongside Matt Baker – and was called out by the troll who questioned Schiff’s credentials.
In response Schiff posted three yawning emojis to highlight her boredom at receiving such abuse.
But that prompted Hamilton to speak out and he praised Schiff’s knowledge and experience.
He wrote on Twitter: “Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team.
Read More in F1
“She’s been a great asset since joining & we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms.
“Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport.”
Like Hamilton, Schiff has been an advocate for greater diversity in sport and has set an example for others to follow.
She began competing in single-seater racing car events aged 16 and competed in the W Series in 2019 – an all-female single-seater racing championship
Schiff later became the diversity and inclusion ambassador for the W Series before making the switch to Sky, where she now gets to analyse her role model Hamilton.
The pundit said of the Mercedes star: “Since I was very young, I’ve looked up to Hamilton.
“He was, for me, the only, call it ‘identifiable’ role model that I had in my career, so he held a special place in my heart and you know, I have always been motivated to do as well as he’s done, and hopefully be that identifiable role model to someone else, thanks to him.”
