Hamilton fears racism may not be stamped out for long time yet

Lewis Hamilton fears racism might not be stamped out for a long time, saying it is a prevalent issue in society.

Hamilton, 34, was addressing the subject in the wake of taunts subjected to England's black footballers during their European Championship qualifier in Montenegro earlier this week.

The Mercedes star, Formula One's first and only black driver, responded to the racist chanting on social media, describing it as "unacceptable" and "despicable".

And speaking in Bahrain, ahead of the second round of his Formula One title defence, the Briton added: "It is crazy to think that at this time in the world, racism is still such a prominent thing.

"It is really there, all around the world, and a real issue - which is sad to see. It doesn't seem like it is going to migrate much over the next few years.

"It's great to see people standing by in support, but it doesn't look like it's something that's going to particularly change for a long time."

Asked how the issue could be resolved, Hamilton replied: "People need to stand up for it more.

"I remember being at school and you got a slap on the hand for it and it was just allowed to slide. That shouldn't happen anywhere.

"Action should be taken and we need to be a lot stricter with it. That starts from parents passing it on to their kids, and so on."