Lewis Hamilton has said that he “would rather not race again” than not speak up against racism.
This comes after the FIA changed their regulations to prohibit drivers from making political, religious and personal statements. In an interview with The New York Times via F1FAll, Hamilton spoke about the many barriers that are still in place despite everything that has been done so far to fight against racism and inequality. He explained:
“There are still so many barriers still in place. Hopefully, it’s not going to be like this for much longer but it’s just sad to see we are still finding those things today.
“If I don’t have these conversations with people, if I don’t bring up these difficult conversations, they won’t necessarily get discussed or tackled, or energy from organisations won’t necessarily be put into creating more inclusivity.
“Spending the time having those conversations and what it means and how positive it could be for everybody, it takes time. It’s a constant job to have them.”
Referring to the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement in 2020 following the tragic death of George Floyd, Hamilton continued:
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“I’ve definitely seen so much growth within myself over several years now. But 2020 was hugely impactful in terms of my spirit and how strong and empowered I felt, to stand up and be outspoken.
“Regardless of what the outcome would be in terms of if you have people unhappy, just knowing that things needed to be said, needed to be done because there are so many people struggling.
“I would rather not race again and have done that and spoken out for people than continue to do what I was doing.”
The seven-time F1 champion has set up the Hamilton Commission and Mission 44, as well as working with Mercedes on the Accelerate 25 programme. Hamilton was also a big part in encouraging the other drivers to take a knee before the Grand Prix races in 2020 as part of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement and the sports #WeRaceAsOne initiative.
