Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton (L) and Fernando Alonso were teammates at McLaren in 2007. In this picture, Fernando Alonso of Spain and McLaren Honda and Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP in the Drivers Press Conference during previews for the Canadian Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, Canada, June 8, 2017. Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Formula One (F1) superstar Fernando Alonso made brutal comments about Lewis Hamilton's Instagram postings promoting veganism.

Hamilton, who is close to securing a sixth World Championship, recently urged his 13.2 million followers to turn vegan, saying it is the "only way to truly save our planet."

Criticizing Hamilton's comments, ex-Ferrari racer Alonso said, "I think I would keep my eating habits to myself. I would never release a message like Lewis’. You can’t send out a message on one day, and on the next day do the opposite. We all know the lifestyle that Lewis has, and that Formula 1 driver takes 200 planes a year. You can’t then say ‘don’t eat meat’," Alonso added in his interview with Spanish radio station Cope.

Hamilton, who could seal the world championship in the next race in Mexico City, initiated a debate when he expressed his concerns for the planet on his Instagram stories.

"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 those of you who do give a damn about the world," Hamilton wrote on his Instagram stories.

The Brit later explained his thoughts in another story. "It’s taken me 32 years to understand the impact I am having on the world and I’m figuring out daily what I can do to play a better part. I want my life to mean something and honestly, up until now my life’s had no meaning."

"Being a part of the issue is not meaningful. Being part of the solution is and I’m striving to do better. I urge you to do some research, find the compassion I know you have within you to recognize what you are contributing to in terms of what you eat which keeps the meat and dairy industry flourishing and therefore, deforestation, animal cruelty, our seas and climate decaying on a daily basis. Go vegan, it is the only way to truly save our planet today," Hamilton added.

RELATED STORIES
Instagram