NAOMI SCHIFF is making waves on the F1 block as she finds herself at the forefront of Sky's coverage of the sport.
The 28-year-old shockingly found herself a target for trolls in recent days after appearing in the paddock at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix earlier this month.
Trolls questioned her credentials in the sport before Lewis Hamilton jumped to her defence, adding F1 has a "long way to go" to change attitudes.
The Mercedes star wrote on Twitter: "Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team.
"She's been a great asset since joining & we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms.
"Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport."
Who is Naomi Schiff?
Born in Antwerp, Belgium, to a Belgian father and Rwandan mother, Schiff grew up in South Africa.
She started racing at just 16 in the Southern African Formula Volkswagen, finishing her opening season in 17th place.
She won the 2014 Clio Cup China Series in 2014 with seven wins from ten races.
Her success earned her a spot in the GT4 European Series the following year, alongside the gruelling 24 Hours of Nurburgring in 2018, widely considered one of the toughest in the world alongside Le Mans.
In 2019, Schiff joined the W Series, for whom she is diversity and inclusion ambassador, and was a reserve last season.
F1 fans might have caught their first glimpse of Naomi back in February when she presented the Mercedes team car launch alongside Natalie Pinkham.
She then appeared as co-host of the new Sky Sports F1 show Any Driven Monday, which is available on YouTube, and joined the 2022 Sky Sports F1 team.
Yet it was this appearance that first prompted the trolls to voice their opinions, with one writing: "Meet Naomi Schiff, Sky Sports latest Formula 1 commentator. Can you guess what her main qualification for the job is? Hint: It isn't Formula 1 experience."
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Schiff responded with three yawning emojis, visibly showing her boredom at such unnecessary abuse.
After the abuse, and Lewis Hamilton defending her, Schiff posted a statement thanking those who had stuck up for her.
She wrote on Twitter: "Thank you to everyone who has come to my defence.
"I appreciate all the love and support, none of you go unnoticed! Sadly the issue of online bullying, bashing, shaming etc. is one I don't believe is going anywhere anytime soon.
"Social media, in some cases, gives voices to individuals who don't deserve to be heard. So I encourage anyone reading this to not indulge in it or retaliate or seek revenge.
"Remember that your words do have impact and that therefore we should do something positive with these platforms and be kind to one another."
Schiff added that she would not "let anyone turn down my ambition or passion because they are uncomfortable with the volume".
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