Impassioned Lewis Hamilton has vowed to continue using his platform in F1 to support LGBTQ+ rights and other unrepresented communities.
Mercedes driver Hamilton is gearing up for lights out on his 17th F1 season at the Bahrain Grand Prix this weekend. And the seven-time world champion has been adamant that he will not be silenced by F1 bosses following a fresh ban on political statements ahead of the new campaign.
The FIA governing body have amended their rules to ban drivers from making "political, religious and personal statements” without requesting permission.
And the crackdown has been met with huge backlash across the paddock and the wider F1 world, with drivers making statements "without prior approval" now breaching the International Sporting Code.
Hamilton has used his platform on race weekends to highlight social injustices and human rights issues across the world in recent seasons.
The legendary Brit has worn a rainbow helmet in the Middle East to support LGBTQ+ rights and wore a black T-shirt with the words "Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" at the 2020 Tuscan Grand Prix - referencing the woman shot dead in her Kentucky home by police officers.
Reporter Christian Hewgill thanked Hamilton for his efforts standing up for human rights in a poignant moment during his interview with the 38-year-old for the Fast and Curious Podcast. And unperturbed Hamilton, who will face sanctions if he ignores the new FIA laws this season, reiterated the need to use his platform in motorsport for good.
"We have this platform and I just feel a huge responsibility," he said. "I'm not just a Formula 1 driver and I can just have success and go about my life, this is a platform to really spark change, spark conversation, which is the beginning of those things.
"Sparking those uncomfortable conversations and then holding people accountable who have been happy with the status quo in the past, which has held people down and made people not included. We can make change and I want to be a part of helping that and making people feel more included."
Hamilton wants the exclusive world of F1 to become more 'accessible' for marginalised communities and stressed that speaking out on such issues can only have a positive impact in forcing change.
"Motorsport or any sport or business shouldn't be able to continue not being diverse. There's not enough access within our communities. When have you ever seen someone working in our industry with disabilities? There are so many different things we need to challenge and fix.
He added: "We also go to a lot of countries where they have challenging human rights issues where humans are not treated as human beings. In the past people just brushed by it like it's not important, it's so important someone speaks out about it."
