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Belgian GP: Lewis Hamilton rules out racing boycott

Lewis Hamilton (right)
Hamilton (second from right) and other drivers will continue protests against racism

World Champion Lewis Hamilton “stands with” US sports stars who boycott events to fight racism but doesn’t think the absence of a race will have an impact.

Basketball, baseball and soccer games were postponed in the US After police shot Jacob Blake, a black man, in the back seven times on Sunday.

Hamilton said, “It’s a shame it takes over there to get a response. But that’s in America and I don’t really know if if I do something here it’s going to do anything special.”

Sebastian Vettel said the drivers’ anti-racism protests would continue before the race.

Hamilton, the only black driver in F1, said ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix at the weekend: “It is amazing what many in the US are doing in their sport, right down to the hosts.

“So many people stand by the players and really push for change.

“I haven’t spoken to anyone about it, but I’m really proud of and united with so many out there.

“I don’t really know what it’s like that we don’t make the race. But I’ll try to speak to Formula One to see what else we can do to further raise awareness and help push the car . “

“And as a sport, we all have to be coordinated and support each other, even if it’s a different sport.”

Hamilton was at the top F1’s support for anti-racism and diversity this year, which has resulted in driver and sport demonstrations before each race.

Vettel, a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said all 20 F1 drivers are united in their desire to carry the message further home.

“We sent a strong message after the first event and we felt we wanted to keep sending that message,” he said.

“It’s one of those things that doesn’t go away overnight.

“How long will we go on? There’s no answer to that. It’s important to keep the message going, and we will continue to do so.”

The Ferrari driver added, “We know it doesn’t change things overnight and it’s only a very small contribution, but hopefully anyone who tunes in and sees it gets the point and takes a little of it for next steps that he faces in life.

“Because it is one thing to act in public, but what is even more important is how everyone behaves and how they handle it when the cameras are switched off. That applies to us and to everyone else.”

Hamilton sees Verstappen as a threat

Hamilton has won four of the first six races of the season, opening a 37-point lead over Red Bulls Max Verstappen. British Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas is another six points behind.

Hamilton said he sees Verstappen as a real threat in the championship.

“If you take away Max’s DNF (retired) in race one, we would be very close on points,” he said. “They achieved very strong results. We may be ahead in qualifying. But in races we are much closer.

“We’re not even in the middle of the season yet. I’m keeping an eye on you. You are absolutely still a title runner and we have to keep going.”

Memories of Hubert

This weekend’s race is one year after Death of the Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert at last year’s event.

On Thursday, Alpha Tauri driver Pierre Gasly, a childhood friend and rival of Hubert, put flowers next to the track at the spot where Hubert, the high-speed left-hander from Raidillon who was the final part of the infamous Eau Rouge Evasive maneuver is.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, winner in Belgium last year and another close friend of Hubert’s, said a lot of drivers would think of him this weekend.

“Last year was very difficult on Saturday night,” said Leclerc. “We all learned that Anthoine had died and on Sunday I spoke to Pierre. We were all good friends and Pierre said ‘You have to win for Anthoine on Sunday’.

“I wanted that too. It was very special, but also very difficult. It was the first time I raced on the same track when you lost someone nearby.

“Coming back doesn’t change that, but it doesn’t change my goals for the weekend, namely to get the best out of the car.”

Ferrari is expecting a difficult weekend, however, as they haven’t shown any speed on the straights this year after a series of rule clarifications over the winter.

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