Lewis Hamilton hints 'silent' F1 rivals will not support Black Lives Matter at Austrian GP
Lewis Hamilton has positioned himself as motorsport's most prominent advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Lewis Hamilton attends Black Lives Matter protest in London
Lewis Hamilton has suggested there will not be a united front in support of the fight against inequality at Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix. Hamilton has come to the fore as one of the sporting world's most prominent advocates of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Mercedes driver last month attended a peaceful protest in the streets of London and has used his high-profile status to speak out against systemic racism.
Hamilton has announced the devisal of the Hamilton Commission to provide opportunities in the motorsport industry to youngsters from a broader array of backgrounds and has backed F1's official We Race As One initiative.
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The 35-year-old, who was behind Mercedes' decision to swap out their traditional silver liveries for 2020 in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, had been expected to lead his F1 rivals in taking a knee before Sunday's Austrian Grand Prix.
However, he has admitted he is yet to decide how he will his throw his weight behind the campaign to fight inequality on the global stage.
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"Honestly I don't have any plans at the moment," said Hamilton, who will start second on the grid at the Red Bull Ring. "I've not thought that far forward. I'm sure over the evening we will.
"We spoke a bit in the drivers' briefing. Yep. Interesting. But it was good that we're kind of all at least in discussion.
"I don't know what we'll see tomorrow. I think potentially people paying their respects in their own ways."
On Saturday the Grand Prix Drivers' Association issued a statement confirming F1 drivers will have "the freedom to show their support for ending racism in their own way and will be free to choose how to do this ahead of the race start on Sunday."
Hamilton has, though, hinted some of his rivals are unwilling to show public support after they opted to remain 'silent' behind closed doors.
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"In the meeting I just acknowledged a lot of the drivers, that there was an interpretation of a message that I posted asking for people to speak out and their silence, just saying thank you for those who have said something on their social media platforms," Hamilton said.
"They've got a great voice, a great platform, and [I was] then encouraging the others that haven't to say something. I just described the scenario that silence is generally complicit.
"There still is some silence in some cases, but I think it's also part of a dialogue of people trying to understand.
"Because I think there are still people that don't fully understand what's happening and what are the reasons for these protests. I continue to try and be that guider, try to influence as many people as I can with it."
Asked if the fact there's been a mixed response to the calls to fight inequality is an issue, Hamilton said: "Well we know there's an issue. We don't need an experience like tomorrow to prove there is an issue."
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