Lewis Hamilton: “Enough is enough”

Anyone who landed by chance on the broadcast of the press conference this Thursday could have legitimately wondered whether it was indeed an official press conference before the British Grand Prix, as the subjects discussed were so different. been more societal than sporting? At the same time, how can we talk about Formula 1 as if nothing had happened when a former world champion in the discipline, Nelson Piquet, uses racist words to qualify another pilot, in this case Lewis Hamilton ? 

For several days, the vast majority of drivers, teams, and members of the Formula 1 industry have shown their solidarity with Hamilton. “I am extremely grateful to the people who have supported the sport, especially the drivers. It's been a few years now since we bowed to the ground together in 2020. I've always faced criticism, racism, negativity, all this archaic storytelling for so long, it's nothing new In my opinion". 

Hamilton: “You need positivity, and there are so many people who have to give from that point of view. Let’s give them a voice.” 

The seven-time world champion, however, did not want to make it a personal matter, preferring to approach the subject more generally. “I look further…, and I don’t understand why we give voice to these archaic voices. They represent neither what we are as a sport today, nor what we wish to become. If we want to broaden our audience, go to South Africa, more often to the USA, we must ensure, in the future, that we offer a platform of resonance to younger people, who are more representative of the era , of what we want to be and become.” 

Lewis Hamilton hopes to change mentalities. © Antonin Vincent / DPPI

Supported by his peers and in particular by Pierre Gasly et Charles Leclerc who greeted “the super ambassador” represented by the British driver, Lewis Hamilton called for everyone's words to now match their actions. “Most large companies, and particularly communications managers, all have a denunciation message ready to send in the event of a crisis, concern with racism or anything else. But it's not enough, explained the pilot Mercedes. Now is the time to act. And above all to stop giving a voice to these people who, consciously or not, do not agree with the fact that I am in F1, or that women are in motorsport. » 

Also questioned about the comments made by former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone who reaffirmed his support for Vladimir Putin in recent days on British television, Hamilton did not mince his words. "Enough is enough, he explained. More I return the question to you. Why give voice like this? I don't know what their aim is in releasing this, if they want to be divisive here in the UK. But we don't need it. To hear comments from someone who supports people who believe in war, in the forced displacement of millions of people, and who murder thousands of people... it's completely beyond me. All of this takes us back decades. You need positivity, and there are so many people who have to give from that point of view. Let’s give them a voice.” 

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