“We really need to do something,” Lewis Hamilton speaks out against F1’s ban on kneeling against racism


“We really need to do something,” Lewis Hamilton speaks out against F1’s ban on kneeling against racism

Lewis Hamilton taking a knee against racism

After two years of pre-race gestures in F1 against racism and fighting for LGBTQ+ rights, F1 has decided to ban the gestures by the drivers. The reasoning behind the taken step was explained by the F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. He said that F1 wants to move from “gesture to action” in 2022 to improve diversity and inclusivity. Lewis Hamilton, who is the only black driver ever in F1 and has spoken boldly in past has shared his thoughts on the decision.

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Regardless of the explanation given by F1, many drivers aren’t happy with the decision as it takes away their freedom to express their concerns and bring focus to the social issues. Apart from Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Sebastian Vettel have already expressed their disbelief about this decision.

Lando Norris said, “I was a bit surprised, I think the issues that we’re tackling are not going to be gone within two years. Therefore I was a bit surprised. I hope that as drivers, we find a way to get together and find a slot of still expressing topics that are important to us,” quoted Express

Sebastian Vettel, who has been vocal about social causes over the years, was surprised to hear about the removal of the gesture of kneeling before the race. The driver believes that F1 needs start taking issues of racism and sustainability seriously.

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Lewis Hamilton’s reaction and future course of action

Lewis Hamilton and the grid will not be talking the knee from 2022 as F1 has decided to ‘move on' from 'gestures to 'actions'
Lewis Hamilton and the grid will not be talking the knee from 2022 as F1 has decided to ‘move on’ from ‘gestures to ‘actions’

Lewis Hamilton has unapologetically spoken against racism. The driver is unsure of the future actions but believes that there shouldn’t be any restriction on gestures.

Hamilton, as quoted by SpeedWeek said, “I guess just really rather than just talking about these things and making these gestures, actually [it’s about] really pushing. I don’t know whether we need that one moment. We should be able to do it at any stage really.”

“But I did feel that the overall slogan last year with all the different things compiled into one, I think we can do more and be more impactful somehow. But I don’t know exactly what that will look like,” as the plan looks unclear at the moment for the Briton.

Whatever may the future steps of the F1 may be, the authority should continue to provide the platform for drivers to raise their concerns. The other actions can be complimentary with kneeling rather than being independent and in the background.

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