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Lewis Hamilton has spearheaded social activism in F1 and has been one of its most vocal proponents. The driver truly came to the forefront in the 2020 season, when he made it a point to take a knee before the start of races.
When asked why he opted to do it, Hamilton said that he felt compelled to follow the lead of the likes of the Williams sisters and Tiger Woods, who have excelled in their respective sport.
In an interview with one of Mercedes' sponsors, UBS, the driver said:
"I've never been good at abiding by the rules. If someone told me I couldn't do something, I always tried to prove them wrong. I think about it, and I think the first dream for me was to get to Formula 1, (and it would be) the only black family there."
He added:
"The goal was obviously world titles, but when you're there, you aspire to do something, like the Williams sisters or Tiger (Woods). I would see them on TV and think they were breaking the mold, and maybe I would never do it."
Hamilton continued:
"More young people were trying it, and I thought maybe we could do something, so we created something to change it, and it was when I was when I was ten years old. when he would ask me those questions, even though he's very, very delicate, and it was very difficult to really understand."
"Moment of real transition was when George Floyd happened" - Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton said that the moment he decided to be more vocal about these issues was when the George Floyd incident happened.
He wanted to use his platform to spread awareness, and the incident proved to be the catalyst in making that happen. He said:
"It was obvious to me when things began to grow, the moment of real transition was when George Floyd happened, there you see more the violence that's going on. That was shocking to me, and I'm sure it was shocking to other people as well, but it reminded me a bit of the past and the experiences I had in the UK."
Lewis Hamilton is in his last contract with Mercedes at the moment. The driver is in talks to sign an extension for two years. There have been reports of a major ten-year deal, but it remains to be seen if that happens.
