LEWIS HAMILTON says he will never forget making the “Black Power” salute after his victory in last weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix.
The F1 world champion was in sensational form at the Red Bull Ring and made the poignant gesture made famous by American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos at the 1968 Olympic Games.
Lewis Hamilton will ‘never forget’ his Black Power salute on the podium after winning the Styrian GPCredit: Getty
Lewis Hamilton was visibly overwhelmed after the podium ceremonyCredit: Getty
Hamilton, 35, has been outspoken on his support for the Black Lives Matter movement and has also created his own commission to increase diversity in F1.
He said: “I remember seeing and reading about their experience and seeing the iconic image of their salute.
“And that was inspiring for me.
“Racism is something that has been around for hundreds of years and currently continues.
“When you’ve got icons, people like that who’ve stood up against this battle, I just find it inspiring.
“I just took a page out of their book, realising that I have this platform, I have this opportunity to continue to raise awareness and try and unite people, to try and educate myself but also educate other people and that was really where it came from.
“It felt like the right moment, it felt an important moment for me. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Hamilton and some of his fellow F1 drivers are expected to again take a knee before this weekend’s Hungarian GP.
He will again raise the subject in a Zoom video call on Friday with his fellow F1 stars hoping for a more-unified display compared with last weekend’s ramshackled attempt.
Sebastian Vettel is in talks with Aston Martin after being dumped by FerrariCredit: Reuters
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel has confirmed he is having talks with Racing Point, who will become Aston Martin F1 team next season.
The four-time world champion is staying tight-lipped over his plans after being unexpectedly dumped by Ferrari.
He added: “At a later stage with anyone, then it would get a bit more concrete.
“But at this stage the truth is that there’s nothing to announce and nothing more concrete than just loose talks.
“If you ask about Racing Point, I think everybody’s talking about Racing Point. I think the first two races have been impressive, the performance on track.
“But when it comes to myself then as I said, there’s no news, nothing that has changed within a week.
“It will probably take some time, most importantly for myself to make the right decision for myself. But anything at this stage is still open.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris has revealed he flew back to the UK after the Styrian GP to undergo tests on his chest injury.
The Brit has been given the all-clear to race this weekend and says it was just to internal bruising caused by being in the car.
He said: “I’m feeling better for this week which is a very good thing. I went back to the UK in the last few days, remaining in my bubble to go and see some specialists and get scans.
“We diagnosed what the problem was, I’m feeling better.
Lando Norris flew back to the UK for checks on his chest injuryCredit: Splash News
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“It’s not something that’s going to completely heal overnight but I’m much better than I was on the weekend so that’s a good thing.
“It’s just bruising from being out of a Formula One car for so long and getting back into it straight into a race weekend and doing so many laps.
“It wasn’t something I could really prepare for or know about.
“After we did the first weekend I had a few days off and it then hit my body a few days after.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
