In recent times, the Mercedes driver and 6-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton has been very active on social media. He’s been very vocal in the black lives matter movement and has urged the F1 paddock to follow his lead. The Daily Mail reported last week that Hamilton will ‘take a knee’ in Austria. Since the unfortunate death of George Floyd, many sports personalities around the world have been ‘taking a knee.’ It was initiated by NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick had taken a knee during the U.S national anthem in 2016 as a protest against racial injustice. Now, F1 has confirmed that they will let Lewis Hamilton and other drivers show their solidarity without facing in action.
F1 won’t take any disciplinary action against Lewis Hamilton or any other driver for ‘taking a knee’
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An F1 spokesperson said, “This is a very important issue and we support anyone who wants to show their support in the fight against racism.” F1 joins other sporting events, such as the Premier League in England to let their players show support to those facing racial injustice. The Managing director of Formula One, Ross Brawn said last week, “Lewis is a great ambassador for the sport. His comments are very valid. We support him completely.”
Lewis has been using the off-season in F1 to address important off-track issues. Apart from throwing his wholehearted support behind the ‘black lives matter’ movement, he has also called out the U.K government for their inefficient handling of the pandemic. Last week Lewis also appealed to the governments of all nations to take down statues honoring slave traders. Hamilton continues to be a fantastic example to all youngsters by showing how one can use their popularity to speak up for the voiceless and the oppressed.
Coming back to F1. Lewis finally got behind the wheel of a Mercedes in Silverstone last week. He drove his championship-winning W09 to shake off the rust before the season kicks off in Austria. Starting from the 5th of July, Lewis will attempt to defend his title and equal the legendary, Michael Schumacher’s record for the most championship titles i.e. 7.
