Lewis Hamilton calls out rival teams for lack of action on racism
"No other team has done a single thing," says Lewis Hamilton, as he urges more action from F1 teams in the fight for equality.
Monday 13 July 2020 14:35, UK
Lewis Hamilton has applauded his Mercedes team for joining him in taking the knee ahead of the weekend's Formula One race, but he said other teams - including Ferrari - must do more to combat racism.
The 35-year-old reflected on a "beautiful" moment before his Styrian Grand Prix victory in Austria when Mercedes joined him in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
He told Sky Sports F1: "It's not something I asked for them to do, but it's a beautiful thing. It doesn't take a lot to do something like that, and it's not changing the world, but perhaps shifting perceptions and shifting ideals. We'll just keep going."
After a dominant win in Sunday's race, Hamilton performed the black power salute twice - on top of his Mercedes and also on the podium.
With all drivers wearing anti-racism T-shirts for the second consecutive race, Hamilton took a knee at the front of the grid alongside 11 other drivers before the race.
Four drivers stood, while four were not present, in pre-race scenes that sparked fresh debate about whether the gathering marked a sufficiently united show of solidarity.
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Hamilton suggested that others teams, including Ferrari, must do more in the fight for equality.
"Formula One has come forward and said they are supporting ending racism, and it is amazing to see Mercedes are also doing that, but no other team has done a single thing," said Hamilton.
"Red Bull mechanics have taken a knee, but if you look at Ferrari they have thousands of people working for them, but I have heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable, and what they are going to do in the future.
"We have to continue to push for equality and raise awareness. For me personally, it is going to be a lifelong thing.
"We spoke about taking a knee in the drivers' briefing and what we intended to do. Some were asking how long we have to continue to do this. Some felt like doing it once last week was enough.
"I just had to encourage them and say that racism is going to be around for longer than our time here. People of colour who are subjected to racism don't have time to take a moment to protest once and then for that to be it."
The six-time champion dominated from pole to move to within six points of Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas in the championship.
He said he was "over the moon" with his performance, adding: "This feels like a long time coming since my last win at the final race of last year.
"We know there's a long way to go and it's a challenge for everyone, but this performance is a step forward, for sure," he said.