Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has spoken of his sadness after he was the target of racist abuse at pre-season tests in Spain.
The McLaren star was jeered and insulted when he moved between the McLaren motorhome and the team's garage at the Circuit de Catalunya, in Montmelo, near Barcelona, on Saturday.
Pictures taken at the circuit show some spectators aiming abusive gestures and mocking Hamilton by wearing wigs and dark make-up.
The 23-year-old was also targeted by some local fans following his public falling-out with former team-mate Fernando Alonso last season.
'The truth is that I feel somewhat sad, I am in love with this country, and especially the city of Barcelona and this circuit, which is one of my three favourites,' said Hamilton, speaking to sportlifepress.com.
'The people in Spain have always been very warm with me, and even though I imagined what might happen it has not been pleasant.
'But maybe these types of things make you learn to appreciate more the warmth of the public, who although you always try to be there for them, you never know how important they are to you until these types of things happen.'
Alonso has since joined Renault for the new season, after a difficult 2007 partnering rookie Hamilton.
'I would like them (the Spanish fans) to understand my position,' Hamilton said.
'The only thing that I have done is to try to give the best of myself and try to win the championship, at no point have I tried to deliberately prejudice Fernando, but the fight has been very tough and my image in Spain has been severely damaged.'
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