“The cork popped,” Lewis Hamilton recalls ‘crying on his knees’ after George Floyd’s death in 2020
Lewis Hamilton reflects on the tragic death of George Floyd, which left him heartbroken and on his knees in tears.
Lewis Hamilton (via IMAGO)
Lewis Hamilton is the only Black driver in Formula 1 history. After making his debut in 2007, he has become one of the sport’s most successful drivers, winning multiple World Championships. He has always been vocal on various social issues, including race. Heartbroken by George Floyd’s murder by a policeman in 2020, Hamilton strongly condemned the act. His response aligned with global protests against police brutality and racial injustice.
Lewis Hamilton’s father, Anthony Hamilton, taught him to never show emotions, believing it reflected weakness. The Briton has followed this principle and is rarely seen crying. However, the death of Floyd had a profound impact on him.
The Briton said that the feelings that he had been holding for a long time had popped that day and he found himself on his knees crying profusely. It was a powerful and strange experience for Hamilton because he doesn’t remember ever crying like that since he was very young.
The cork popped. It had me on my knees in tears, all this emotion came out. It was such a strange experience because I don’t remember crying since I was really young.
Lewis Hamilton stated.
Being Black, Hamilton felt a strong responsibility to use his platform as a prominent athlete to raise awareness about the situation which left him feeling broken.
I knew that I’d had enough, I really needed to speak out. There are people that are staying silent, people that feel voiceless and I have this platform.
Lewis Hamilton added
"They (Mercedes) gave me a lot more freedom (than McLaren). But still if I felt there were wrongdoings I didn’t feel I could speak out.”
— sim (@sim3744) September 28, 2024
(In 2020) "The cork popped. It had me on my knees in tears, all this emotion came out. It was such a strange experience because I don’t… pic.twitter.com/o2JVRnF9Lk
Lewis Hamilton claims winning the championship for him would be of no use if he couldn’t support minorities
Lewis Hamilton has won seven championships, a record matched only by Michael Schumacher. The Briton also holds the record for the most race wins in history. However, he believes that all his championships, fame, and recognition would be meaningless if he couldn’t support minorities by raising his voice against injustices.
Hamilton emphasizes that personal success should not be the sole focus. He felt a strong need to speak up for the underprivileged who have been treated poorly.
Winning championships is an amazing thing, but what are you doing with it? What are you doing with your time on this planet?
Lewis Hamilton explained
The F1 community, along with Lewis Hamilton, gathered on the track and kneeled down as a sign of support for the ‘black lives matter’ movement. The incident was also highlighted in the Netflix popular series ‘Drive to survive’.
Gaurang Kadam
(340 Articles Published)