Mercedes driver Lewis hamilton has admitted to opting for a different stance when it comes to his fight against racism.
The 36-year old has said that he will look to adopt the principles of diplomacy rather than look to “embarrass people”.
Leading from the front in Formula 1 with respect to the Black Lives Matter movement, Hamilton was vocal in saying that FIA needed to do more to take a stance.
Not only the organising committee, Hamilton urged his fellow teammates and often called them out on social media for remaining silent. He was also critical that drivers did not put up a united front by taking a knee before races.
Hamilton vowed to continue this gesture into the current season across all races. He found support from some of his competitors, while others chose to stand.
At the time, Hamilton wore a T-shirt with the message saying, “Actions speak louder than words”.
“At the beginning of the year I was very outspoken and calling out the sport,” Hamilton said.
“Then, that was the right thing for me. But, I discovered that there’s times where you have to be very diplomatic, where there’s more you can do by discussions in the background, rather than embarrassing people.
“I’m having conversations, trying to hold people in the sport more accountable. I’m constantly sending emails, I’m constantly on Zoom calls with Formula One and challenging them like they wouldn’t want to be challenged.”
Always outspoken about his views on the environment, Hamilton is no stranger to how tough Formula 1 is on the Earth. However, he said that nothing would really change even if he retired.
“What are my options? I could quit. The positives of that are that I won’t be driving a car around 20 different tracks, we’ll be flying less. But the fact is if I stop, the thing will keep going. They’re not going to stop for me.”
Hamilton is chasing an elusive eighth Formula 1 world championship. He got off to the best possible start with a win in the season-opener. Do you think he is destined for even greater things in the sport? Let us know in the comments section below!
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