TOTO WOLFF has called on F1 to back Lewis Hamilton’s fight against racism.
Hamilton — F1’s only black driver — admitted he was ‘completely overcome with rage’ after George Floyd’s death in US police custody.
Lewis Hamilton’s fight against racism has been backed by his Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
The six-time world champion also accused his white-dominated sport of staying silent on the scandal.
Now, Hamilton’s boss at Mercedes has revealed his own experience of discrimination as he praised the Brit’s stance.
Austrian Wolff, 48, said: “Lewis is always a strong supporter of any minorities. I have learned a lot from him.
“He asked me once, ‘Have you ever had the active thought that you are white?’ and I said, ‘No, actually I’ve never thought about it’.
“He said, ‘Well, I need to think about it every day’ — so I think it’s very difficult for us to comprehend how difficult it is.
“Therefore, I am happy and supportive he has come out vocally. He is one of the ambassadors of this sport and I think it’s good.
“I was raised in a household with different nationalities. I lived with a Jewish family when my family faced tough times and I saw what discrimination looked like as an early child.
“All of us have the power to make a change and sometimes it needs events, like the ones in the US, to trigger a massive wave of support for any minority.
Lewis is always a strong supporter of any minorities. I have learned a lot from him.”
Toto Wolff
“It is good that Lewis, as a sports superstar, is the one up front in a sport which is very much dominated by white males.
“In our teams, we choose our people based on performance and don’t look at any culture, religion or skin colour.
“All of us can make a difference. Every single one of us should be part of the movement to stop these kind of things happening.”
Both Hamilton and Wolff are out of contract when their current Mercedes deals expire at the end of December.
Hamilton, 35, has made it no secret he intends to pledge his future to the Silver Arrows but sees Wolff as an integral part of their success.
Yet Wolff is contemplating his own future — despite playing down reports of a rift with new Daimler chief Ola Kallenius.
He added: “Ola and I had a laugh when the rumours came out that there was some dysfunctionality in our relationship.
“We’re on the phone many times every week and he’s very involved, a very good sparring partner for me that I wouldn’t want to miss.
“On my future, I have bought a few shares in Aston Martin as a financial investment but my executive functions are unchanged. I’m at Mercedes, I’m the team principal.
“I have the best intentions to stay here and that is unchanged. Nevertheless, I need to question myself.
“I don’t want to become a team principal who goes from great to good without realising that he’s maybe not adding as much any more to the team as he did in the beginning.
“I still feel I can add a lot, but of course I’m contemplating my future. It’s not a simple employment contract, it involves a shareholding.”
Wolff also refused to rule out a swoop for Sebastian Vettel — who will leave Ferrari when his deal ends in December — despite stating he was happy with Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas.
He said: “First of all, it is not lip service because we owe it to a four-time world champion not to come out and say no straight away.
“You need to think about it. On the other side, we have a fantastic line-up and I am happy with both our drivers.
“But you never know — one may decide he doesn’t want to go racing anymore and suddenly you have a vacant spot.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
