Lewis Hamilton tells his Formula 1 driver colleagues that they are “complicit” with racism if they keep silent about their opposition to racial injustice
- F1 legend Lewis Hamilton will take part in the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday
- He warned his competitors that if they keep silent, they will be involved in racism
- Six-time champion Hamilton is the only black F1 driver in the history of the sport
- Some F1 drivers are irritated by Hamilton’s stubborn manner on the subject
Lewis Hamilton has warned his F1 drivers that failure to publicly demonstrate their opposition to racial injustice makes them “complicit” in racism.
Before today’s Austrian Grand Prix, the six-time world champion announced that he had told his competitors that “silence is complicit”.
Hamilton, the only black driver in F1 history, has recently reinforced his demand for more variety in sports.
Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton (pictured left with supermodel Karolina Kurkova) warned his passengers that they would participate in racism if they did not speak out
While his riders agreed to wear End Racism t-shirts before today’s race, his words will likely increase the pressure on them to take their knees off, an act that started in the US when the American Footballer Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the national anthem in protest against police brutality and racism.
The issue was reportedly discussed at a virtual meeting of all 20 F1 drivers on Friday night, but was unable to reach a unanimous conclusion.
Hamilton said, “I thanked those who said something on their social media platforms because they have a great voice.
“I encouraged those who have nothing to say. I told them silence was complicit. In some cases there is still silence. ‘
Some drivers are believed to be irritated by Hamilton’s persistent nature.
Carlos Sainz, a McLaren team driver, said: “Not everyone has decided what to do. You will see tomorrow. ‘
The teams will likely leave the drivers to decide for themselves, and the sports association, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, says it is not their job to inform them of an essentially political decision.
Hamilton (pictured) will take part in the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday. Some Formula 1 drivers disagree on whether they should kneel at the weekend
Critics of Hamilton, 35, have pointed out that Mercedes Benz, the team he drives for and pays him £ 40m a year, employed 40,000 slave workers in World War II.
Last month, Hamilton was involved in a spit with former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, who said in an interview with CNN that “in many cases, blacks are more racist than whites”.
Hamilton described the comments as “ignorant and illiterate”.
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