Lewis Hamilton leads F1 support for Black Lives Matter while breaking records
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Lewis Hamilton is Formula One’s most successful driver. In early November, he equalled Michael Schumacher’s record of seven world championships by winning the Turkish Grand Prix. He has won more races than anyone in history and had more pole positions, points finishes and top-three podium appearances than anyone else.
He is also taking a stance against racial injustice and police brutality.
In July, the British driver, 35, was among over a dozen Formula 1 drivers to take a knee ahead of the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton, who is the only black driver in Formula 1, wore a “Black Lives Matter” shirt, while many of the other drivers — including those who did not kneel — opted for shirts that read “End Racism”.
Hamilton explained on Instagram how the drivers’ decision to kneel was a critical moment for him and others who are working for a more just and equal society.
“I may get criticism in the media and elsewhere, but this fight is about equality, not politics or promotion. To me, it was an emotional and poignant chapter in the progress of making F1 a more diverse and inclusive sport. I want a better future for our generation and the ones after us,” Hamilton said. “There is so much that needs to be done. No one is perfect, but if we all chip in and do our part, we can see change. I truly believe that.”
In October, Hamilton wore a Black Lives Matter facemask as he celebrated his historic 92nd victory in Portugal. He has continually used his position to raise awareness about social issues, including wearing a shirt that read “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” before another race.
Long gone is the Lewis Hamilton who was only recognisable in the realm of F1 – he is now a global icon, and with that, his stance on global issues has been thrust on to the global stage. On social media, he has used his platform to express his views on systemic racism and all manner of injustice. To his 17 million followers, he preaches the gospel of equality, respect and love.
“My advice to future generations would be to speak out against injustice wherever you see it, even if you feel like the only voice in a sea of silence.”
Hamilton is the only black driver to have smashed through the upper echelons of a predominantly white sport, a situation he is striving to change. He has heavily backed the Black Lives Matter movement, but his support is not limited to shirts and social media.
In June, he said he was setting up the Hamilton Commission in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering. It will explore how motorsport can be a vehicle to engage more young people from black backgrounds with science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
The commission will also look to tackle a lack of role models in the industry.
Announcing the commission, Hamilton said that it would attempt to break down “… barriers that prevent people from more diverse backgrounds joining the racing industry, and problematic hiring practices that result in fewer black graduates entering engineering professions.”
Hamilton says he had always thought that his presence and incredible success would “spark change.” Somewhat naively, he now acknowledges, he thought becoming the world’s most successful racing driver – along with the presence of his dad Anthony and brother Nicolas, a fellow driver – would be enough to “open up doorways” for others. The realisation that it wasn’t happening after all these years led him to rethink.
While he was working things out, the world changed; in May, the 46-year-old black father-of-five George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white Minneapolis police officer, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck and choked the life out of him.
Hamilton remains traumatised by what he saw on the viral video of Floyd’s death that circulated soon afterwards.
“Watching George for that eight minutes and thirty seconds, as for so many people, brought up so much emotion that I didn’t even realise that I had clogged up and suppressed over that time,” he told the BBC.
It also crystallised in his mind what he needed to do.
“It’s not enough to be not racist,” Hamilton continued. “You have to be anti-racist. You have to be against racism and supporting these movements.”
In ten years, he will have retired. Still, Lewis Hamilton has no intention of giving up on his goal – to break down Formula One’s institutional inertia when it comes to achieving racial equality.
