Lewis Hamilton is widely regarded as one of the most popular Formula 1 drivers, and his fans are among the most dedicated and passionate. They hail from various corners of the world and diverse backgrounds, united by their adoration for Hamilton and his racing.
Last year, someone took it too far by portraying himself as a Hamilton fan on Twitter. An account on social media by the name ‘CenturionLewis’ on Twitter, posing as an avid fan of the seven-time world champion and as a 20-year-old boy, tragically suffering from terminal cancer, allegedly scammed Mercedes.
Mercedes once allegedly subjected to a fraudulent scheme
The man on Twitter was pretending to be a devoted fan of the seven-time world champion, while also claiming to be a 20-year-old male, caught Mercedes’s eye when he posted about him fighting cancer. In March earlier this year, he posted about his deteriorating health, “My cancer has not reduced but has started to spread around my body, I had emergency radiotherapy treatment and went home and then had multiple severe seizures and now admitted into hospital, potentially surgery to come.”
This wasn’t the only move made by the scammer for sympathy. Earlier in July, he even claimed to have gotten into a near-death car crash, resulting in him getting plenty of sympathy from others on social media. These sad sympathetic posts caught the attention of the Mercedes team and they reportedly called him to Brackley for a tour of the factories and to watch the 2022 F1 Hungarian Grand Prix.
The story doesn’t stop there, later it was announced on the Twitter account that the admin had passed away. As a result, tributes flooded social media. The account tweeted saying it was announced on the ‘CenturionLewis’ Twitter account that he had passed away. As a result, tributes flooded social media.
Mercedes also joined the public and sent out condolences. This was the second time the German team was fooled as in a shocking turn of events, a few days later it was revealed that everything about this Twitter account was fake. The account holder, named “Liam T”, is rumoured to be the 28-year-old man behind the fake account, working as a hospital porter. He has two children and has not suffered from cancer or the claimed car accident and is alive and well.
After the matter was out in the open, the team was quick to delete their post. And the fans took the internet by storm with memes on the topic, notably one where they refuted Michael Massi and the controversial Abu Dhabi decision.
Michael Masi realizing he's no longer the most hated man in Formula 1 after CenturionLewis pic.twitter.com/5yJpP46IXE
— Josh Stanley (@HallStan44) August 11, 2022
What is the estimated net worth of the Mercedes F1?
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, commonly known as Mercedes F1, is a German Formula One racing team. The team originated by acquiring the championship-winning team, Brawn GP. Mercedes F1 has won the Formula One World Championship a record eight consecutive times as constructors (2014–2021) and seven times with driver Lewis Hamilton.
Mercedes-Benz is projected to be valued at $1.015 billion. This makes them the world’s second-richest Formula One team. This money is derived from a variety of sources. Sponsorship arrangements and royalties from their wildly successful engine programme are two major revenue streams. Mercedes has also attracted significant investments from corporations such as Petronas, INEOS, and Hewlett-Packard.
Despite the enormous value, Mercedes’s 2023 season hasn’t been going well. Where do you think Mercedes will finish the season? Tell us your thoughts in the comment section below.
