Lewis Hamilton has completed a total wipe of his Instagram feed ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, unfollowing all accounts he was previously subscribed to, including Ferrari and his dog, Roscoe. This is not a new tactic for Hamilton. The seven-time world champion went dark on social media after losing the 2021 Drivers’ Championship title to Max Verstappen on the final lap of the season finale in Abu Dhabi in controversial circumstances.

The 40-year-old ended his absence from Instagram a couple of months later with a fresh post. However, unlike in 2021, this time, Hamilton’s motivations for an Instagram blackout are unclear. The legendary F1 star has experienced a challenging start to his maiden campaign with Ferrari and has received increasing criticism from some fans and pundits. This may have played a role in the Brit’s decision.

Hamilton has previously opened up about his struggles with the toxic environment that social media can present. Sponsorship obligations and team media duties mean that drivers can never truly disconnect from these platforms, but many outsource their accounts to companies rather than engage directly.

In 2023 at the Brazilian Grand Prix, the Stevenage-born racer revealed: “You know, you don’t see me on social media a huge amount because there are anxieties that I have. I have never spoken about it, but I’ve had to do a lot of work in the back.

“Whether it’s working through therapy, whether it’s taking on, like, finding different outlets, whether it’s reading more, whether it’s doing meditation, whether it’s trying to pull in more tools to my arsenal so that I can deal with the challenges that I’m facing.”

Hamilton’s digital detox might also be linked with a drive to improve his performance. Two-time IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden employed this tactic ahead of the 2024 season, even unfollowing his wife on Instagram. He missed out on a third series crown, but did record his second successive Indy 500 victory.

The Ferrari driver is still navigating the challenging adaptation process since swapping Brackley for Maranello over the winter. He trails team-mate Charles Leclerc by 12 points heading into the Emilia Romagna GP, despite claiming a sprint race victory in Shanghai in round two of the campaign.

Explaining his struggles, he noted: “I mean, when I joined Mercedes, the first six months were tough getting attuned to working with new people. Obviously, the engineers I’m working with now are used to setting up a car for a different driver and a different driving style, and I’m used to driving a car with a different driving style. So it’s a combination of a bunch of different things.”