'Your job is to race round aimlessly in a gas-guzzling land rocket': Lewis Hamilton is ridiculed after telling fans the 'only way to save the planet' is by going VEGAN... after making career of driving F1 cars and using private jet to zip across the globe

Racing Driver Lewis Hamilton has been mocked for telling fans to go vegan to 'save the planet' despite his own gas-guzzling habits. 

The 34-year-old, who is on the verge of winning a sixth Formula One world title, wrote about his concerns for the environment in three posts on Instagram yesterday. 

But he immediately attracted mockery, with one Twitter user writing: 'It's hard to be taken serious about the climate when your job is to race aimlessly around in circles in a gas guzzling land rocket.'

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Lewis Hamilton made clear his feelings about the state of the world in three posts on Instagram yesterday. He is pictured on his private jet, which he has reportedly now sold 

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The Formula One driver, 34, uploaded a series of posts on Tuesday. In this one, he told his 13.1 million followers that he felt like 'giving up on everything' 

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Hamilton - pictured racing in Japan - switched to a plant-based diet in 2017 and in September he helped launch a vegan burger restaurant in London

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The posts sparked accusations of hypocrisy from some Twitter users, while others defended him 

Hamilton wrote in the posts: ‘Go vegan, it is the only way to truly save our planet today. It can be done so quickly, all you have to do is put your mind to it.

‘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.’

The posts sparked accusations of hypocrisy from some Twitter users, with Alastair Russell writing: 'Lewis Hamilton urging people to go vegan to save the planet as he drives a massive-engined race car around the world.'

London Assembly Susan Hall wrote: 'Erm - if we all go vegan would that allow some to continue to motor race and fly around the world in private jets etc. if that is your thought process

'I would suggest you either keep quiet or sack your pr advisor. Very disappointed as am a huge fan of yours.'  

Another user commented: 'Lewis Hamilton (laugh!) he who pollutes the planet probably 5 times more(?) than most with exhaust emissions.'  

Hamilton switched to a plant-based diet in 2017 and in September he helped launch a vegan burger restaurant in London. He reportedly also sold his red private jet earlier this year.

The racing driver started the series of posts by saying he was 'sad right now with the thought of where this world is going', before claiming humans were at risk of 'extinction'. 

Hamilton then suggested people had been 'lied to' about the value of eating meat and that cutting out animal products altogether was necessary to save the world. 

He added: 'I urge you to do some research, find the compassion I know you have within you to recognise 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.'

'Extinction of our race is becoming more and more likely': Lewis Hamilton's full Instagram post  

Hey world, I hope everyone’s enjoying their day. I’m sad right now with the thought of where this world is going.

Extinction of our race becoming more and more likely as we over use our resources. The world is a messed up place. World leaders either uneducated or don’t care about the environment at all.

Agriculture farming is the largest pullutant (sic) we currently have by over 50 per cent, far more than our travel industry combined. I’m sad to see so many people, even close friends ignore what is happening daily.

Education is key and we were taught that eating animal products was good for us but we’ve been lied to for 100s of years.

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 recognise 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. It can be done so quickly, all you have to do is put your mind to it.

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. 

Some fans expressed their concern about his comments saying he 'felt like giving up on everything'.

One wrote: 'Please don't give up on the world. There are people that care, whilst the world may seem c**p at times you have to look for the positives. I promise you there are some.'

Another fan typed: 'I am so concerned about Lewis. Hope he is ok.' 

Back in August, the racing driver unveiled his plans to open a new vegan burger restaurant chain, in a bid to reduce greenhouse emissions created by livestock.

He opened his first plant-based Neat Burger restaurant last month, which sells vegan burgers called 'Neat', 'Cheese' and 'Chick’n'. 

Livestock are a major driver of climate change - accounting for nearly 15 percent of greenhouse gas emissions - while producing meat uses land and water less efficiently than crops, according to the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. 

The racing driver previously spoke about his own decision to go vegan two years ago. He told the BBC: ' I stopped eating red meat two years ago, I have generally been pescatarian for the majority of the year and now I've cut fish.

'As the human race, what we are doing to the world... the pollution [in terms of emissions of global-warming gases] coming from the amount of cows that are being produced is incredible.

'They say it is more than what we produce with our flights and our cars, which is kind of crazy to think, the cruelty is horrible and I don't necessarily want to support that and I want to live a healthier life.'