Lewis Hamilton won Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday for his second consecutive victory. But that’s not what he wanted to focus on afterward.
The Mercedes driver called out F1, its teams and its drivers for not taking the anti-racism fight seriously and for the lack of leadership, which he noted was on display as drivers looked disorganized before Sunday’s race in their attempt to unite for a pre-race gesture.
When F1 returned to the track earlier this month before the Austrian Grand Prix, the series’ 20 drivers stood or kneeled together in front of the words “End Racism” written on the grid. Most wore “End Racism” t-shirts, while Hamilton’s read: “Black Lives Matter.”
Since the season’s delayed start, drivers are three-for-three in pre-race statements against racism. But, as the BBC noted, on Sunday before the Hungarian GP, “a number of drivers were late, and the protest had to break up quickly when the national anthem began playing.”
And the 35-year-old, six-time F1 world champ said both the pre-race and behind-the-scenes efforts are lacking.
“There definitely is not enough support for it,” he said of the pre-race anti-racism gesture. “Many drivers seem to be of the opinion that they have done it once and are not going to do it again. It’s almost like it has gone off the agenda. It’s lacking leadership. There needs to be leadership from the top.”
Hamilton — who has repeatedly called out F1 and the people associated with it for not stepping up — also said he will reach out to F1 leaders this week to address the issue “because no one else is going to do it.” He also took issue with the lack of progress being made beyond heightened awareness of how pervasive racism is.
F1 announced in June an initiave to combat racism and address the lack of diversity in racing, as did Mercedes. But Hamilton, who’s establishing his own commission, called out teams for not doing more beyond the pre-race gestures.
More from Hamilton on Sunday, via the BBC:
“…I don’t think it’s being taken seriously. There are perhaps people who have not grown up around it so don’t understand it and because of that ‘it doesn’t affect me’.
“I have heard those comments: ‘It doesn’t do anything for me so why should I do it?’
“But it’s not about ‘me’ and it’s not about ‘you’; it’s about this fight that the world, people out there who are experiencing discrimination. That’s what we’re fighting for. We’re fighting for change in organisations.
“But there are a few drivers who are in touch with me and are like: ‘Hey, I want to be a part of this, what can I do?’
“It’s fantastic and my dream is that by the end of the year we all know and understand things better and we all stand united and the whole of F1 is on top of it.”
A few hours after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton expanded on his concerns on Instagram.
In his caption, he wrote:
Today I raced for everyone out there who is pushing to make positive change and fight inequality, however, sadly, as a sport we need to do so much more. It is embarrassing that many teams have not made any public commitment to diversity or that we couldn’t properly find time to make a symbolic gesture in support of ending racism before the race. Today felt rushed and massively lacked organisation and effort, which in turn dilutes the message and makes it seem like there was something more important. It doesn’t matter if you stand or kneel, but we should be showing the world that F1 is united in its commitment to equality and inclusivity. F1 and the FIA need to do more. There is no quick fix for racial inequality, but it is certainly something that we can’t just acknowledge once and then move on. We have to stay focussed, keep highlighting the problem and hold those with the power accountable.
#BlackLivesMatter #EndRacism
Three races into the restructured 2020 F1 season, Hamilton is at the top of the driver standings, followed by Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen.
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