Nothing will prevent me from talking about the things that I am passionate about and the problems that exist
lewis hamilton
“Nothing will stop me from talking about the things that I am passionate about and the problems that exist,” said the 38-year-old Briton, on the sidelines of the presentation of the Mercedes car for the new season.
“Sport has a responsibility, that of expressing itself always on the important issues to raise awareness, particularly when we travel to all these different places,” he added.
The FIA, which imposes the regulations of the F1 world championship, rallies (WRC) and resistance (WEC), updated its International Sporting Code (CSI) in December, and prohibited, in the name of the principle of neutrality, political, religious and personal “statements” and “comments”, especially by drivers, unless “prior approval in writing by the FIA” or by the ASN, the National Sporting Authority of the country concerned.
This decision “does not surprise me,” said Hamilton, who frequently speaks out publicly on certain issues during Grand Prix, mainly through messages on his clothing or helmet.
In 2020, on the podium at the Tuscany Grand Prix, the Mercedes driver donned a T-shirt with the message “arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor”, a black woman who was killed by police in her apartment in USA. This act prompted the FIA to revise its protocol rules during post-race ceremonies.
For now, the nature of the sanctions is not known. Despite the fact that the world champion acknowledged on Wednesday that “it would be stupid if I said that I would like to receive penalties for expressing myself”, he assumes that he will “continue to say” what he thinks.
For his part, F1 president Stefano Domenicali assured in early February that “F1 will never gag anyone.”
“We are talking about 20 drivers, 10 teams and many sponsors who have different ideas, different points of view,” added the Italian in an interview with the British newspaper. Guardian. “I can’t say who’s right and who’s wrong, but it’s fair, if necessary, to give them a platform to speak their minds openly.”