Lewis Hamilton raises fist in solidarity with Black Lives Matter after winning Styrian Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton raises fist in solidarity with Black Lives Matter after winning Styrian Grand Prix.

Lewis Hamilton is the only Black driver to win the Styrian Grand Prix and he took that opportunity to stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter cause. Hamilton has broken all kinds of barriers with Formula One when he became the first Black driver in 2007. To date, he’s the only Black driver in Formula One.

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We’ve seen an uptick of Black athletes protesting and supporting Black Lives Matter since the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police. We’ve also seen our share of racism in motorsports. Just recently the only Black driver for NASCAR, Bubba Wallace, felt he was targeted after a noose was found in his racetrack garage. The FBI later deemed it had been there before he’d arrived, thus not a hate crime.

Formula One has planned other moments in solidarity including what was done at Austria’s Red Bull Ring when the season opened. Hamilton led the 20 drivers to the starting line where an “End Racism” banner was being flown. Every driver wore a t-shirt to match. Many of the drivers also took a knee with Hamilton, though there were six drivers who chose not to kneel. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Räikkönen, McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr., Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat, and Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi remained standing and later took to social media to explain why.

Regardless of the division of some of the drivers, it’s nice to see Hamilton supported and his hard work paying off.