The atmosphere has changed since the Briton, the first black driver in the queen of motorsport, urged Formula 1 to position himself after the death of George Floyd at the hands of police in the United States in late May. Contested for his way of making the F1 paddock aware of the fight against racism, the six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton had to defend himself after the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. “It is a fight for equality, it is not a question of politics or promotion. “
“No one moves a finger in my sport, which is of course dominated by white people,” he wrote on Instagram. I thought you would now see why this is happening and react, but you cannot stand by our side. Just know that I know who you are and that I see you. “
Like Charles Leclerc, many pilots had replied with contrite messages to these messages on Your canvas. “To be completely honest, I did not feel at home and uncomfortable sharing my thoughts on social media. I was completely wrong, “posted the Monegasque Ferrari.
However, during an official ceremony against racism on the starting grid of the inaugural GP of the season Sunday, Leclerc, 22, was one of the six drivers who, unlike Hamilton, did not kneel, preferring to bow their heads as a sign of meditation, dressed in black T-shirts marked with the words “end racism” (put an end to racism).
Fanned by the British press
And Leclerc explains that, for him, “the important thing is daily facts and behavior more than formal gestures that could be perceived as controversial in certain countries”.
Beyond the right of everyone to support the cause in their own way – which F1 and its regulator, the International Automobile Federation (FIA) have defended, by organizing this ceremony – it is the style the six-time world champion who, as often, is controversial.
Admittedly, it was not he who put the subject on the carpet, but the British press which as of Thursday morning widely questioned Hamilton on his intention to kneel before departure. He replied that he had not thought of it, wished a concerted gesture with the nineteen other drivers and called “above all” for more lasting action on the part of the “industry” of F1.
Behind the scenes, however, some sources noted that the Briton had been less tolerant at a meeting organized by the pilots’ association, the GPDA, on Friday evening. Asked about these exchanges the next day, the Mercedes driver had explained: “The message I posted asking to break the silence was interpreted and I just thanked those who had done it because their voice is important and I have encouraged others to do so. “
A movement with Marxist hints
“I described the scenario where being silent is an accomplice,” he said. There is always silence in some cases, but I think it’s part of the dialogue, the process of understanding. (…) So I will try to continue trying to be a guide, an influence. “
“I never asked or demanded that anyone kneel down. I never even talked about it. It was F1 and GPDA who did it, “he reiterated on Sunday, seeming to respond to an article by the British tabloid. Daily Mail claiming that, “privately, a number of pilots (were) annoyed by Hamilton’s insistence to force them to kneel”.
The article in question also denounces the “hypocrisy” of the pilot, “knight of the ecology” but who went to Austria in a “useless private flight” from Monaco, or his ignorance of the recent debate on the Marxist ramifications of the Black Lives Matter movement, which he claims.
“Today was an important moment for me and all those who work for and believe in change. For a more just and egalitarian society. I can be criticized in the media and elsewhere, but it is a fight for equality, it is not a question of politics or promotion ”, tried to close the interested party on Instagram Sunday evening, after having had to settle for fourth place in the GP.
Criticized off track and penalized on the starting grid for an error in qualifying and in the race for causing a collision, he did not start his campaign at best to equal the record of seven world titles by Michael Schumacher.
