GARDENS OF MIAMI, Florida –
Lewis Hamilton immersed himself in the Roe v. Wade shortly after arriving in the United States. He protested the ban on wearing jewelry as he runs sporting three watches, eight rings and multiple necklaces in Miami.
And as the seven-time world champion prepared for his Formula One debut in South Florida, Hamilton welcomed former first lady Michelle Obama into his pit for practice and qualifying.
Hamilton remains an agent of change 16 years into his career when he became the first black winner in F1 in 2008. The British driver is now 37, the winningest driver in series history and is tied with Michael Schumacher for a record. seven titles. Hamilton remains the only black driver at motorsport’s most elite level.
He has used his platform to speak out on issues of social justice and race, human rights, and protecting the LBGTQ community.
While in New York earlier this week, Hamilton took to Instagram to discuss the Supreme Court’s potential decision to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade Act of 1973 and ending the nation’s right to legal abortion.
“I love being in the United States, but I can’t ignore what’s going on right now and what some in government are trying to do to the women who live here,” Hamilton posted on her Instagram story for her nearly 28 millions of followers.
“Everyone should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies. We cannot allow that choice to be taken away from us.”
The following post included names of organizations and resources that support abortion rights.
Two days later, she arrived at the Hard Rock Stadium paddock wearing all the jewelry she could find. He was protesting a decision by the FIA, F1’s governing body, to clamp down on drivers who wear jewelry while racing. The FIA states that jewelery is a potential safety hazard; Hamilton says that he has been wearing his piercings for 16 seasons in F1 and that he has the right to express himself however he wants.
But as the glitz and glamor of F1 invaded Miami Gardens, a suburban family neighborhood that is nearly 70 percent black or African American, according to the US Census Bureau, Hamilton was the lone face of the crowd. diversity. It’s not enough, said his boss, Mercedes director Toto Wolff.
“What (F1) needs is role models, not just the best driver, which is the biggest role model the sport has, but we need… to change that room, there needs to be a more diverse group of people talking. of Formula”. One,” Wolff said. “We just have to take one step at a time. We’d love to have a very diverse group of fans and audiences and whatever we can do, we’re prepared to do.”
Zak Brown, the California native who now runs McLaren Racing, said exposing F1 to a new audience is key. He cited the growth of the North American fan base through Netflix’s “Drive to Survive” docuseries to “a new, more diverse, young fan base.”
“If you look at the fan base they brought in, they brought in a lot of female fans, a lot of young people,” Brown said. “Reaching out to new markets like Miami and then looking at not just great race broadcasts, but side and side programming as well. It’s about making incremental gains in all of these areas.
“We just need to continue to expose our great sport to people who are new to the sport and then let the sport work its magic on everyone as it has done for us for many years.”
Reference-www.ctvnews.ca