Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Mugello, 2020

FIA may investigate Hamilton over Breonna Taylor T-shirt worn on podium

2020 Tuscan Grand Prix

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The FIA is considering whether Lewis Hamilton may have broken the sport’s rules by wearing a T-shirt drawing attention to the killing of Breonna Taylor, according to multiple reports.

Hamilton wore a shirt bearing the messages “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” on the podium following his victory in yesterday’s Tuscan Grand Prix. The shirt also featured a picture of the 26-year-old with the phrase “Say her name”.

Taylor was shot eight times and killed by police officers who entered her home in Kentucky in March. Her family have brought legal proceedings against the police force.

Her case is one of several which has been highlighted by worldwide anti-racism protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, of which Hamilton is a prominent supporter.

Hamilton has previously worn a Black Lives Matter T-shirt during the sport’s pre-race ‘end racism’ observance. Asked yesterday why he had made the change, Hamilton said: “It’s not much of a change, it’s still fighting the same thing.

“It took me a long time to get that shirt. I’ve been wanting to wear that and bring awareness to the fact that there’s people that have been killed on the street and there’s someone that got killed in her own house – they’re in the wrong house and those guys are still walking free.

“We can’t rest, we have to continue to raise awareness with it.”

RaceFans has approached the FIA for comment.

This article will be updated.

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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218 comments on “FIA may investigate Hamilton over Breonna Taylor T-shirt worn on podium”

  1. So a non-sporting reprimand on the way for Lewis?

    1. Any reprimand or penalty given by FIA would be equal to the current situation in Belarus. People must be allowed call for truth!

      1. @bulgarian I bet dollars to donuts you don’t know the truth about Breonna Taylor.

        —- Still, arrest the cops who killed her, but I’d wager my entire paycheck from last week’s salary* that you don’t know what happened.

        * I have no job so… even if you know, I don’t have to pay. Sad and “got you” at the same time.

    2. I would give Lewis much more credence if he would also show his outrage for basic human rights being denied in Bahrain and China; if he would refuse to shake Putin’s hand, the oligarch gangster dictator; if he refused to race in Brazil for the Amazon fires and criminal deforestation, etc… To be selectively outraged, while amassing incredible fortune while being silent over so much injustice looks hypocritical.

      1. Nell (@imabouttogoham)
        15th September 2020, 0:05

        i agree with the premise, but because he’s focused on a single issue closest to him, that issue becomes unworthy?

        1. No, I think you maybe misinterpreting the premise; which can be summed up with “I don’t like Hamilton so I’ll criticise him for drawing attention to an issue, on the basis that he isn’t also drawing attention to every other issue under the sun”. Tiresome, but predictable.

        2. @imabouttogoham Just like many Americans and nearly the entire rest of the world, I’d bet Hamilton has no idea what actually led to Taylor’s unfortunate murder. Arrest the cops, yes, they deserve it, but does Hamilton even know what he’s really protesting this time? I doubt it. In fact, I am almost positive he’s clueless on the matter. He just sees that a black person was shot and the name gets popular in the media so he’s on board.

          1. You THINK you are the only person that knows what stories have been made public. You aren’t. There is no “truth” that you are aware of only stories printed in the press, so hold your faux Hamilton outrage. We all know your agenda with Lewis.

        1. Thank you! Rhys.

          Make sure y read it up svianna!

  2. This moron is an embarrassment to our country and the sport.

    1. How dare he? Petrochemical, tobacco, alcohol, ponzi schemes and the works should be the only messages allowed in F1. The nerve of Hamilton to even try to have an opinion about world events…

  3. Frankly, they would be stupid to take the publicity of punishing him for this.

    1. geoffgroom44 (@)
      14th September 2020, 17:58

      +1

    2. Presumably @sham they’ve put the story out there that they might investigate him, to see what the reaction is.

      Negative, Jean. Don’t do it. You will just look very wrong, in several different ways all at once.

      1. @zann Or they’ve put the story out as their attempt to stop Hamilton from doing a repeat.
        I agree totally with the sentiment expressed on the t-shirt, police are not above the law, and this is really the crux of the BLM protests. However, it touches on a raw and potentially explosive nerve in US politics, with the upcoming election certain to centre on this and related issues. If Hamilton wants to make a stand, I support him.

        1. @david-br

          police are not above the law

          this right here is why this particular shirt is in a gray area. You are commenting on it, making a comment based on what I presume to be misinformation that many Americans even don’t realize is misinformation. Taylor’s murderers should be arrested, yes, but this has nothing to do with brutality on the part of police at all.

          1. Again…Nieana knows the “truth”. We aren’t worthy of your greatness!

      2. I guess they got a complaint / remark from someone @zann, @david-br, so they just announced that they are going to have a look at it.

        Honestly, for Hamilton it wouldn’t be a problem even if they took away all points for this race, gave him a reprimand, put in a 100k fine or wahtever. It would be a good moment to repeat his commitment to the message, confirm that he feels i was well worth the opportunity to make that stand and see how the penalty generates new attention to this worthwhile cause.

        For the FIA, I am sure that they are looking at the rules to find a good reason to be able to conclude there was nothign wrong with the T-shirt. Or maybe if they have to penalize, and don’t see how to get out of it, give him one of those “formal warnings”, or maybe a reprimand. Because they know full well, that this will only highlight the stupidity of bringing those “race as one” and “equality” messages and then penalising the only black guy in the field for showing a message that is completely on the message with the official line.

        1. It’s just a bit weird @bascb @david-br that they or someone there briefed about it, instead of calling him privately to ask him not to do it any more, or making the decision before they said anything.

          I mean normally an institution gets its justification all ready and then announces the decision and the explanation together, so it looks decisive, fair, thoughtful and those good things, instead of like this which is the exact opposite!

          1. Well, the thing is, if say Horner / Marko filed an official complaint, then the FIA has to officially announce the investigation. If they wouldn’t do that, the one who filed to complaint would have reason to dispute the FIA’s handling of the matter @zann.

        2. @bascb

          It would be a good moment to repeat his commitment to the message, confirm that he feels i was well worth the opportunity to make that stand and see how the penalty generates new attention to this worthwhile cause.

          What cause? This is not part of BLM. This is not part of #EndRacism. This is something entirely separate. The police involved were still doing something illegally, but the actual shots fired were very much a case of self-defense had they gone through proper channels. Heck, they were even in the wrong house to begin with.

          1. @neiana, please stop lecturing us because you are the only one that knows the true story, at this point anyone of us has had plenty of opportunity to check, so let’s assume that when we write something about it, we do think we have a handle on them. Including your framing of it.

            By the way, being in the wrong house to begin with might have a lot to do with what they did wrong and how it got to shots being exchanged. But that’s for a judge to rule, after the officers that caused, or directly killed, this woman are tried. Since there are clear signs of bad outcomes, and also wrongdoing in getting there, arresting them to be tried shouldn’t be a political thing, though I recognize that it seemingly has been made one.

            Anyway, well said @bascb, the FIA cannot just say (like when the drivers say something about the SC ;) it is nothing. There is a rule, and if they got a protest, they too need to look into it (hey, rules being made, and followed). I hope they act wisely.

            btw. Ferruci ban? Yeah that was about wanting to put an overt support for a politician on the car, which is rather clear cut over the line.

    3. +1 If they punish him, it would undermine everything that the FIA is claiming to do to “end racism”

      1. Police coming and shooting a person in their home isn’t necessarily racism. Its stupid policing and irresponsible but not necessarily racism.

        I’m not saying it couldn’t be racism either nor am I saying there is no racism in police in US. But I think each case needs to be judged individually, as opposed to blaming all cases (involving minority police victims).

        It can also be police stupidity and brutality and not be racism in this specific case too.

      2. @eurobrun this was not racism. This was not even BLM. This was not even police brutality.

        The police illegally entered a house, the wrong house! The man in the house, in darkness, assumed they were being robbed so he shot – self defense. The police, assuming they were being shot at (they were), shot back (reasonable), but hit Breonna. There is literally nothing that could tie this event to #EndRacism or BLM. NOTHING. The fact Lewis is sporting this shirt is fine and all, but it’s mixing messages, just like most Americans are doing.

        1. Please read the article the NewYork Times published. They did an exhaustive investigation that took several months and included 1500 documents.
          If I’m not mistaken the NYT determined the cops planned 4 drug busts that night and Breonna’s boyfriend, a dealer, was one of them.
          They did knock although they weren’t required to and her boyfriend thought it was her ex boyfriend, a dealer himself, who was at the door so he fired hitting the cop.
          There is no way they can convict the cops except one who shot indiscriminately and was fired.
          Had nothing to do with racism Hamilton, like LeBron and other high profile athletes are often un educated and say or do dumb things out of ignorance. I doubt they realize innocent people are injured or worse by clueless fans who follow them through social media. They are clueless ego maniacs.

          1. This is where you need to stop. No fact allowed when it’s all about feeling.

    4. They won’t punish him. They’ll have a word and will ask Lewis not to display slogans that might cause F1 problems in future. He could have had a tshirt with her face or name on it or a shirt that says “justice for Breonna Taylor” which would be a bit more subtle but would create the same awareness of the situation. Wearing a shirt with a direct statement like that on it could cause problems for Chase with some in America for example.

    5. I doubt Lewis will see any punishment, but I can see why Liberty and the FIA might be nervous about the idea of drivers promoting social or political causes on the podium.

    6. Yes. The technical term is the “Streisand Effect”.

      1. Not that the FIA and BLM movement need to be at loggerheads of course. I mean that by punishing Hamilton more people will become aware that he wore this shirt and look up the footage on Youtube, for better or worse, and obviously the FIA did not really want that to happen in the first place.

        1. Breonna Taylor and BLM have zero link other than the false link that people are creating. This was not a case of police brutality OR racism. A bit overstepping their legal bounds to enter a house, but nothing else after that was out of sorts for that kind of encounter. The cops were shot at FIRST, though they were in the wrong, anyway.

          1. @neiana You keep posting this, but keep missing the point.

            If Breonna had been white, those cops would have been been charged. But she was black, so they walk free.

            Perhaps do a bit more research yourself about why people are upset before getting on your high horse.

          2. As @fluxsource mentions the circumstances would have been completely different had Brianna Taylor not been black @neiana. They probably wouldn’t have just busted into the house, the wrong house, as you rightly mention, without any form of search warrent etc.

            Off course it shows a lot about the shambles procedures for Police seem to be in the USA. But it also highlights how somehow most of the bad results end up falling on black and minority communities. Exactly what BLM are about.

          3. Yeah the cops were shot first. But if you live in a country were guns are legal and allow police to do no knock search warrants and dont even have to say they are police dont be surprised if a homeowner defends there property. Never mind that the police blindly shot over 20 rounds through walls and they had no idea who or how many people were in the house. And let’s not talk about the police officers lying to the judge to get the search warrants. In other country (apart from America) the police officers responsible would have been charged with murder.

  4. What do these Sports rules exactly say that Hamilton has supposedly broken? I’m just curious.

    1. I’m sure there were rules in the past about political stuff on the podium. I think there was some Spanish official/politician who got banned from future events for something in the past.

      1. There was also the case of the Turkish GP being fined $5m in 2006 because the winner’s trophy was presented by the “predident of the Turkish Cypriot state”, which is recognised only by Turkey.

    2. Political statements not approved by the FIA. He wasn’t allowed to wear a one off helmet in Texas that supported Kaepernick a few years back for the same reason.
      Maybe they can use it as an excuse to ban him for a race or two as they are desperate to artificially liven up the WDC? And he seems to be standing in the way of that.

      1. @riptide A little fact check. LH has said that it was ‘someone high up in the US’ and ‘from outside F1,’ that warned him of potential consequences for wearing the helmet design, ie. it was not the FIA or F1 that stopped him.

        Might as well jump in with my comment on this topic too. When I saw LH wear that T-shirt it didn’t phase me at all and I just thought it made sense and was appropriate for the times we’re in. I’m glad pressure and awareness for change isn’t going away.

        My guess is that if he is reprimanded at all it will simply be because he is playing in FIA‘s/F1’s sand box, and I think just like with any corporation, it is the owners that have the say as to what message they send out, not the employees. As we have seen, his employers have no issue with the drivers’ knee taking etc that has been going on ahead of races. They’re on board with the messaging. I suspect they are on board with the messaging on LH’s T-shirt too, but don’t like to be caught by surprise when suddenly there’s a hard message on a T-shirt that they didn’t know about.

        Any message such as LH had on his T-shirt can easily be construed as him speaking for F1 or FIA, and so at a minimum they would probably like to know what messages are being sent out on their behalf since it’s their sandbox. Technically speaking, and just my opinion, to be covered legally when a case has yet to go to court, the T-shirt should have said ‘allegedly’ killed Breonna Taylor (not saying I would have expect it to). In the extreme case FIA could be sued for publicly defaming the bad cops before they have had their day in court, and it would be terrible if that somehow got them off the charges, for example if they are unable to get a fair trial if the masses have already made up their minds and they can’t find a neutral jury.

        Bottom line for me…I have no issue with the T-shirt, but I would understand if FIA/F1 says ‘hey just run that by us first next time’ and by all means wear any T-shirt you want away from the track.

        Now that I think of it I’m reminded of the numerous (likely hundreds of) times I have heard radio talk shows where they start off by saying something to the effect that the opinions expressed by the talk show host do not necessarily represent those of the stations owners, the broadcasters. Doesn’t mean the owners agree or disagree with any given topic, and there they are allowing the topic on their station whether they agree with the host or not (indicating they believe in democracy), but it is simply a legal disclaimer.

        1. @robbie So someone outside of the FIA warned him that the it could have consequences from the FIA?

          TLDR

          1. @f1osaurus Not sure what someone outside of F1 would know about consequences from FIA. LH doesn’t seem to expand on what consequences nor from who, but I would suggest things like future sponsorship deals etc. given the backlash Kaepernick had received. Or perhaps certain ways he’d potentially be treated in the US, a country that we know LH likes. Since we know LH isn’t supporting the political side of BLM, just the core issue of inequality towards black people, and we know Trump made political hay with his base over Kaepernick’s kneeling, perhaps the suggestion to LH was that the issue had been made way more political than just equality for blacks that Kaepernick was kneeling for, and did LH need to be jumping into a US political mess.

          2. @robbie That you don’t understand something doesn’t say much though.

        2. Thanks for the correction. Not even sure exactly where I heard this from.

        3. There is no implication in the message that the cops committed any specific crime so this is not open to legal challenge. The fact that some police killed the woman is not in doubt so there is no need for the alleged to be added. If the shirt had said murdered then that would indeed require prefixing with allegedly to avoid potential legal issues.

          The shirt is a statement that those involved in killing the woman should be arrested which is actually pretty reasonable request but I would imagine the police force has a internal process for any deaths to a member of the public that need to be followed to decide if they should be arrested. Unfortunately that process will be lacking in transparency and not a quick process if there are other circumstances in the case that mitigate their actions.

          My thoughts are they’ll fine him and ensure in the regulations that drivers can only wear the clothing they raced in for the interviews and podium.

          1. @slowmo the police illegally entered a home, and it was the wrong home at that. The person inside the home, fearing safety, shot at the police, not even knowing they were police! And the police, fearing for their safety, shot back.

            Hamilton, I think, has zero clue of what happened. Personally I’m in agreement with you, the shirt is not a problem alone. I do think, however, that the fact Hamilton is BLM and FIA is #EndRacism this shirt promotes a FALSE sense of this being a case of police brutality or anti-black behavior. It was not.

          2. I think there is a point that they should have mandated Hamilton wear the same shirt as all the other drivers since the start of the year. I have no issues with BLM but allowing drivers to wear slogans of their own choosing was just asking for something controversial to happen.

          3. There is no implication in the message that the cops committed any specific crime so this is not open to legal challenge.

            Yes there is @slowo; you can only ‘arrest’ somebody if they committed a specific crime. But I guess that including ‘who alledgedly unlawfully killed’ would not have fitted.
            That’s also the problem I have with this shirt. Most people don’t understand what happened in this case (many incorrect assumptions of the facts in the comments). This case certainly warrants an in-depth (independent) investigation, and most likely testing those findings in a court of law. But people should be cautious jumping to conclusions.

          4. you can only ‘arrest’ somebody if they committed a specific crime.

            @coldfly Isn’t that the whole point of a trial, to determine if someone has in fact committed a specific crime?

          5. Isn’t that the whole point of a trial

            Indeed, @puffy, and we should consider people innocent until after such a trial.
            That’s why the original poster righly argued that it should include ‘alledgedly’, even when ‘killing’ itself is not a crime (murder is).

      2. @riptide even if they ban him for 2 races, Barrichello 2.0 will find a way to lose two races and we will still have him leading the championship by miles.

      3. Doubt they’ll ban him on any races.

    3. I’m not sure it’s a political statement. He’s not promoting a candidate or party or partisan element in some civil or international conflict. He’s not seeking the overthrow of some sheikh or junta. There may be a fine line but it’s no more political with the taking the knee ceremony the FIA doesn’t seem to mind. Note also Naomi Osaka did something similar and it didn’t draw and investigation from her sports league.

      1. Osaka wasn’t wearing a shirt that said arrest cops.

  5. What about Emily Jones, Lewis?

    1. geoffgroom44 (@)
      14th September 2020, 17:58

      so, tell us about Emily

    2. Yes, you made it plain in previous posts that’s all you care about. Just this one person. And nothing going to stop you is it? Not even the parents pleading with you and those like you to stop using her name and image to further your agenda

    3. Her family have asked that people like you stop trying to make her a martyr.

    4. It seems I miss something. A child killed by a mental patient. Witnesses could identify the killer. Terrible, but a totally different case.

    5. Yeaaaaahhhh, because Emily was killed by someone that was being paid with taxpayers money to serve and protect?? Do you honestly not see what this is all about????
      Did we pay Emily’s killer to serve and protect??? Because if so I can understand protesting, but would be pretty weird to protest a citizen who is already in custody?? Do you understand what protesting is??

      1. Pretty sure you aren’t very well aware of what happened to Breonna Taylor, either, with this response.

    6. We really need comment voting @keithcollantine

    7. I’m confused… Why would he wear a shirt that says “arrest the woman who killed Emily Jones” when she’s already been arrested and is in court tomorrow?

    8. Ah yes. Whataboutism, the cornerstone of any well reasoned argument.

      1. You want to know what makes it worse. Emily Jones parents have asked people like Stephen here to stop using their daughters murder for their own sick games. Its just final proof they dont care about Emily Jones

    9. You do know the person who killed Emily Jones is in jail and due in court tomorrow and her parents have asked people like you to stop using her murder for your own political gains. But of course you won’t cos you don’t care about Emily Jones she is just a political pawn for people like you

  6. I respect police greatly. They put their lives and health at risk to uphold the law and maintain order.

    I feel like Hamilton’s t-shirt can only incite violence and hatred towards police. It could possibly be putting the lives of police at greater risk.

    These guys have families to go home to at the end of the day.

    1. Yes, after shooting an innocent unarmed women half a dozen times and firing three bullets into the house next door, they all went home to their families.

      1. There’s more to the story than that. You make it sound like they went into her house determined to murder her.

        1. How about they busted the door down and accidentally shot her 8 times; and then went home to their families?

          1. Oh, and then put three bullets into the house next door where children were sleeping. Happy now?

          2. Ian, I get that you need to stand on the other side of the barricade, but the facts are facts and there’s certainly more to the story. Police knocking at the door, her boyfriend shooting first without any plausible reason, drug-related past of her surroundings etc. Just opening the fire against the police in case you’re innocent isn’t the best indicator of your innocence. And let’s not forget the fact that an officer had been injured before the police started shooting.

          3. Todd (@braketurnaccelerate)
            14th September 2020, 18:56

            @pironitheprovocateur – That’s the whole point of the issue. The cops neither a) Knocked at the door nor b) announced themselves, and if they really did announce themselves as they say, why did the Louisville PD has purposely hide or destroyed evidence (body cams). Had either of those two things happened, it would be a different situation.

          4. @braketurnaccelerate, I think this is something that is hard to argue about. According to the evidence of the witnesses from the surrounding area, they knocked several times – the only party saying otherwise is the girl’s boyfriend. To avoid misunderstanding, I’m not advocating the act of the officers but it’s similarly hard to simply denounce them as murderers since they’ve been under fire and we would need to be in their boots, life threatened, to fully evaluate the weight of the situation.

      2. The neighbours said they didnt announce who they were; despite not being in uniform, and entered on a no knock warrant. The man had a licence to have a gun and defended himself. Are you now arguing that if you have a legally held firearm, and a group of men bust into your house in the middle of the night, you can’t use it until you ascertain who they are? I don’t think many Americans would sign up to that.
        And I’m on the side of the barricade that says you dont shoot unarmed people, and if you do carry a gun you must be able to shoot straight. Hitting another house doesnt cut it. And a full and open independent investigation should follow before anyone accidentally loses their body cams. By that very action they have exposed themselves to being labeled murderers.
        And this very debate shows why it should be fully investigated to reveal all the facts.
        Notwithstanding that I don’t think the winners podium is the pace to wear such apparel. Although I understand why the winners of various sports are expected to use that opportunity to further their cause

        1. Behold, I agree with you. Let’s wait and see the results of the investigation.

        2. I’m very sure that the police DID say who they were before entering according to Witness statements.

        3. The message should be “end no knock raids” and “end the drug war”.

        4. @riptide Indeed this is an accurate representation of what I understand to be the facts. The police entered the house — the wrong house, at that — and were fired upon. The police fired back and someone died. This is part and parcel what happens in a fire fight, and while all the blame can be put on the shoulders of the police who entered without a legal warrant AND THE WRONG HOUSE, it is by no means about BLM or racism or police brutality. I don’t think Lewis is aware of what he’s representing.

    2. Justice and equality don’t come easy. I don’t particularly think that Lewis drawing attention to the issue will incite violence, though of course this is a sensitive subject and passions are bound to be high, but what is certain is that if everyone remains silent, then nothing will change.

    3. Then you should be happy. The police that killed this woman are doing fine.

    4. Racism is a cornerstone of America, a critical part of understanding American’s history. Dismissing it’s role in the current problem requires either ignorance or approval of it.

      But it isn’t just racism. What justifies this? Should cops be kicking in doors at night for drug crime? It wasn’t like there was a hostage or a terrorist plot. They wanted to seize some dope, guns, and cash.

      I worry it might be my door next, just for having the wrong political view.

      1. That’s why you need less government and less police.

      2. @slotopen that’s a fear I hold from both sides, though I am far more concerned with the side that is properly trained in how to use firearms and far less afraid of the side that is afraid of them. On the other hand, the side that is afraid of using firearms sure likes to set fire to places they like AND dislike, so…

    5. Unfortunately there are times when the police don’t use the powers given to them by their government with the care and responsibility expected. What then? This is one of those cases, except now you’ve got one dead law abiding citizen, the very people the police are supposed to be protecting.
      I don’t like the idea of the public pushing the police into finding a person to hang a “guilty” sign onto, because that can go wrong and some innocent person ends up being blamed (and the guilty person escaping justice), but on the other hand I suspect most Americans don’t want this “swept under the carpet”.

    6. We pay them to protect us and not kill us. Their job is to die for us and not complain about it. Otherwise go get another job if you don’t like it.. American cops are mostly thugs. We need a serious rethinking of law enforcement.

      1. @darryn

        Their job is to die for us and not complain about it.

        You are a truly hateful person.

        Wishing the police dead isn’t going to help black people anyway, as violence by other black people is a far bigger threat to black lives than police violence. You radicals are delusional about how bad the current situation is and how bad it can get, similar to how communists know for sure that they could replace capitalism and democracy with something better, yet they ended up killing millions.

      2. @darryn You cannot be seriously mean this. How can you state that the American cops are mostly thugs? Have you vetted them all personally? Surely there will be rogue policemen, but there will only be few of them. Mostly these policemen- and women are people who have family, who have children and they would like to get home alive as well. Due to the almost unrestricted access to weapons the Americans have, every police-officer runs the risk of losing their life in an instant. They did not sign up for that, they signed up to protect and serve, but not at the cost of losing their lives. What needs to change in the USA, is the unlimited access to weapons, that is what needs rethinking.

    7. You live in a dream world. Unfortunately for some of us, a large portion of Police are racist, corrupt or even lead crime syndicates and commit murders. I won’t be surprised if you are from a country that is very low on the corruption Index. I am not. Police are literally one the scourges of the Nation.

  7. Really would not be a good look to punish him and would further muddle the whole ‘we race as one/end racism’ message F1 is trying to promote.

    Fortunately, even if he is punished, he’s already brought awareness anyway. It only takes one glance at social media to see that more people were discussing his shirt and the killing rather then the fact he won the race.

  8. geoffgroom44 (@)
    14th September 2020, 18:02

    Human rights a political issue?
    The FIA will be making some very bad PR for itself if it chooses to censor what an individual in a free society chooses to say.
    However, one is drawn to the hypocrisy of secret Ferrari/FIA agreements and are supposed to accept that such agreements are not ‘political’.
    But kudos to Lewis anyway for having the guts, whether we agree or not, to make this point.

    1. As long they allow everyone to voice their opinions, not just Hamilton. If someone want to wear a “free the Uyghurs” shirt they should allow it. If someone wants to wear a shirt criticising the treatment of homosexuals in the Middle East they should allow it. If someone want to criticise state sanctioned political murders in Russia they should be allowed.

      1. And what if someone wanted to wear a shirt decrying the monetization of countries that do such things? Would the FIA allow someone to wear a shirt that is staunchly punching the face of the FIA?

    2. Mercedes have replied to a tweet with that very sentiment. ‘its not a political issue, its a human rights issue.’

      1. Human rights issues are political issues.

    3. @geoffgroom44

      Human rights often clash or are subjective. To what extent do the police have to risk their lives to reduce the risk to others, especially when those other people are not cooperating? Police officers have human rights too.

      There is no objective answer to this question. This is why these kind of acts can offend people.

      Of course, you can simply argue that your interpretation of human rights is the only correct one and that anyone who disagrees needs to be silenced. That seems to be the ‘tolerant’ and ‘inclusive’ answer.

      1. geoffgroom44 (@)
        15th September 2020, 9:57

        I’m the son of a cop, so tell me about it! As for the ‘not co-operating’ observation, does that really apply in this specific case when the police where exercising a ‘no knock warrant’,dressed in plain clothes…and at the wrong house it seems?

        As for these kind of acts offending people,well, I agree-there is no objective answer.If someone chooses to be offended that is their free choice.
        Just as it is a free choice in a free democracy to make statements in the first place. I do not argue that this is the only correct attitude, the very principles of western democracy argue that, don’t they…or is that also a subjective thing?

        1. @geoffgroom44

          They weren’t at the wrong house and they got authorization for a no-knock entry by a judge, but the police officers were ordered by their superiors to do a knock-and-announce entry. They seem to at least have knocked.

          1. geoffgroom44 (@)
            15th September 2020, 11:35

            as always there are conflicting reports.
            This is exactly why officers involved in shootings that result in death or serious injury should have the opportunity to present evidence,evidence, in a court of law.
            We have been reading of so many cases where the officers are ‘denied’ that opportunity and the net effect of that is that law abiding citizens are always left with the unpleasant taste that ‘there is not equality before the law’. No org can police itself satisfactorily and no member of society has the right to avoid court action.The lack of this ‘no one is above the law mentality’ is a considerable disservice to the majority of decent,well trained,Police personnel.

  9. A large fine with the money going to charity would be a simple solution I would have thought.

    1. geoffgroom44 (@)
      15th September 2020, 10:01

      excuse me, are you talking about the Ferarria secret engine hush-up deal because I would have agreed that a large fine going to charity would have been a course of action.
      As for a fine against Lewis.Great!. The longer this nonsensical argument goes on, the more advertisng he gets for his money. You know, advertsing, the stuff that is all over F1 and probably from some companies with a less than ‘ethical’ approach to life, huh?
      It was a piece of brilliant PR to wear that shirt.

  10. The idea that Sport & Politics should not mix ended at the Mexico Olympics in 1968 with Tommy Simpson & Juan Carlos and their black power salute.

  11. anything to stop fascism

  12. I think Hamilton isn’t a very intelligent person. Does he support black live matters or does he supports the end of racism?
    Is he trying to please american people, or is he trying to send a message to all the people around the world?
    End racism, doesn’t discriminate and include all people that can suffer racism: whites, blacks, asiatics, latins, indians, etc etc, racism can be everywhere, and not in particular to one race (black people).
    Black live matters is a partial message, focused on black people, but doesn’t take in account other races, and all the people that can suffer racism. In fact is an american organization, around things or events that occur in america.

    1. BLM is a political organisation.

      1. Not at all, David Dumbo. They have no candidates for office. It’s a human rights, racial justice organization.

        1. Single issue politics then..

          A distinct but related meaning of the term “social issue” (used particularly in the United States) refers to topics of national political interest, over which the public is deeply divided and which are the subject of intense partisan advocacy, debate, and voting.

      2. Do your research. Each countries BLM Organisation is independent; and the movement is a separate entity. Hamilton has condemned the UK one and challenged the American one on a number of issues.
        Always surprises me that a number of those who have an issue with Hamilton supporting BLM have no problem with paying a Sky subscription to watch F1. Who also support BLM.

        1. @riptide Your comment caused me to google for LH’s comments on BLM and you’re right that he is not supporting different organizations’ political stances, just the inequality towards black people.

          So here’s an interesting example that happened here in Toronto. Toronto is not immune from this issue and there has been similar issues between cops and black people to those in the US, albeit much less frequent. There is undoubtedly systemic racism, just at a lesser scale, here in Canada.

          So about 3 or 4 years ago, after there had been an incident with a black person unfairly treated, BLM protested at Toronto’s gay pride parade, as in, they shut it down with a sit-in at one of the main intersections of the parade route until they got what they came for, which was the barring of all uniformed police officers from attending the parade. They got their way, the police left, the parade went on, and since then no uniformed police officers have been invited to oversee the parade.

          So, tied in with that is that politicians typically attend the parade as they do not want to appear anti-gay. That said, our current premier has refused to attend the parade even though he is not anti-gay, as he also supports the police, 99% of whom are good honest servers of the community. First responders. He and many others disagree entirely with BLM getting their way and barring all police officers when the fact is they are overwhelmingly good people. Why are they all paying for the bad deeds of a tiny majority, is the outstanding question on the issue in Toronto. Why are they all being painted with the same brush?

          Just wanted to give that example of how one can support the movement, but not necessarily their political actions. Seems to fly in the face of things when in the name of fairness and inclusiveness for black people, overwhelmingly good police are excluded, many of whom are also black and brown. So much for inclusiveness.

          1. Exactly, life is a 2 way street and some people forget that every now and then.

      3. BLM was created and is funded by cronies like Soros to divide and conquer. They don’t care at all about racsim.
        They’ve also created and pushed other far-left movements, simply to cause chaos to the western world.

      4. What Government are BLM supporting? It’s not political. It’s about lives, human lives. Unfortunately, Black lives are seen as less than human in most places.

  13. Imagine if they banned him for 8 races and stripped him of all his points.

    Now that would make the rest of 2020 worth watching.

    1. @joshgeake

      You are right, it’ll be the most interesting season of all time… watching the goat come back to win the championship with a race to spare.

    2. Nell (@imabouttogoham)
      15th September 2020, 0:08

      For wearing a political t-shirt?

      To be honest, I’m curious to see it just for Hamilton’s response, if he is really willing to put his money where his mouth is. And also the negative publicity F1 and the FIA are willing to wear.

  14. I can’t find the particular rule so unsure of the precise wording, but… what was on his shirt in Mugello wasn’t directly (however others may choose to interpret it) political, so I don’t think an investigation would find wrongdoing.

    That said, I expect they’ll act to avoid this setting a precedent and prevent similar t-shirts – which could end up having all manner of messages written on them – being worn in the future. Probably some rule similar to the one FIFA made a few World Cups ago, banning messages under football shirts.

    1. It would just be for bringing the sport into disrepute.

      The thing that gets me is it takes a special level of arrogance and entitlement to think you can compete in and win a GP then use that platform for whatever reason you fancy.

      1. Except it’s the opposite if disrepute, it give the sport social awareness and promotes fairness and justice.

        1. You missed the part where you mentioned “in my opinion…”.

          1. I would venture that the majority of intelligent fans would support my view. Unless they don’t like Hamilton.

          2. I would venture that you’ve read a load of stuff online and formed your own opinions about an incident having never been a police officer or faced any vaguely comparable situation.

          3. If you’ve been a police officer you’d be surely more likely to support the message, @joshgeake.

            Where a crime is suspected, evidence is gathered and suspects and witnesses are brought in for questioning. That’s actually precisely their job.

            Nobody is saying they should be subject to a summary execution. But a proper criminal investigation would make sense.

        2. They need to investigate whether their actions were reaosnable under US law first, before charging them or not.

          Arresting them without that would be stupid. Prosecutors need to see whether there’s enough evidence for a case.

          Also, police brutality cases are not necessarily equality cases.

  15. Just focus on the on-track stuff rather than all of these secondary (to racing) things.

    1. You haven’t followed sports much I assume.

    2. Yea, they have been telling Hamilton that for years, but he won’t listen. I bet he won’t get far in this sport with an attitude like that.

      Maybe he should give up all his charity work. That must take a toll as the majority of it is based around helping disadvantaged children.

      1. @riptide Lol, yeah imagine if Hamilton finally focused on the racing. He might actually accomplish something!

        1. I would say he would be on his fighting for his 8th title now instead of his 7th if he did.

          1. Nell (@imabouttogoham)
            15th September 2020, 0:10

            I didn’t know Hamilton’s charity and green activism powered Rosberg into his 2016 title. I mean there was a bit of charity involved for sure…

          2. @yaru Well he couldn’t have won the 2016 title with all the adversity he had. For instance already 3 of the first 4 races lost due to issues outside of his control (plus Spa, Spain, Singapore, Malaysia). It was bizarre that he got so close to being WDC after all that. So you can’t be talking about 2016.

            What other season could he have been WDC and didn’t?

            Maybe you feel he should have won 2007? He sure could have, but McLaren helping Alonso win in Monaco didn’t help. McLaren keeping him out until the “canvas” was visible on his tyres didn’t help. The car having electrical issues in Brazil didn’t help either. Hamilton not winning in 2007 wasn’t because he was busy with extra curricular activities at the time.

  16. I have no issue about him raising the issue but in my mind he needed to be smarter about it.

    He needs to be really careful about possibly prejudicing any trial that may occur in the future. Prosecutions can simply fall apart on the basis that the jurors could be influenced by external factors distorting the evidence presented in court.

    If I was him, I would have said something like “Investigate and publish the report into the death of Breonna Taylor”. It sounds lame and certainly won’t convey his obvious anger but this way he is bringing attention to the issue but can’t then be accused of trying to sway opinion either way.

    I don’t think a fine or other punishment is necessary but if he plans on doing something like this again in the future (as is his right) then he should seek appropriate support that can advise him if there are unforeseen legal implications for what he says.

  17. Wonder if Mercedes and their sponsors are happy to have their logo’s covered up in a live telecast to millions around the world.

    Logo’s they pay a great deal for to have beamed into the conscience of their potential clients.

    Problem for Hamilton is that each stunt has to be more radical than the last. What next for him, that will not upset his sponsors commercial reason for providing the avenue of his public promotional ability.

    1. I wondered about that too. I guess his sponsors approved this, his team too

    2. Sponsors love publicity.

      1. Up to a point, where that point is Hamilton will find out in short time.

        All depends on who and where the target audience for the sponsors (and the FIA) are and how much the Hamilton ever increasing radical messages take them away from their target audience demographics.

        One thing to be a radical, another to start bringing the sponsors (and its organising body) into disrepute.

        A fine line. A very fine line from a commercial perspective.

        1. Ya he doesn’t want to support gays in in Sochi because come tea time he ll be poisoned or call the cops in Mexico because they arrest you and hand you over to the local cartel who do whatever they want.

  18. The FIA may very well be doing Lewis and the cause a favor by sanctioning him. They’d simply be amplifying his call. I’m not sure Lewis would be too disappointed in that outcome.

  19. Mercedes will support Hamilton on this. He’s become a worldwide icon of anti-fascism. Mercedes once supported Hitler (see the cars he was driven around in) and they would probably like to distance themselves from any hint of fascism.

    1. Wow, a real Godwin in this topic.

      1. Godwin is a foolish lawyer. Do you usually quote foolish lawyers?

          1. Like I said, a foolish lawyer.

        1. Lawyer? Godwin is Shelley’s father in law.

          1. Do a little, basic research. Thanks.

    2. You have an excellent grasp of the subject, I see.

      1. The bulk of Lewis’ salary is paid by two Fortune 500 companies (Mercedes, Hugo Boss) that used forced labour (slavery) up to and during WW II. Refusing the pay from both those sponsors would be a noble gesture towards ending racism.

        Don’t see it ever happening, but it would make a statement.

        1. Thank you for that story. You missed the chapter where Hamilton instigated the deal with Hilfiger to replace Boss. Maybe he should refuse to race against the RBs and Ferrari as they were on the side of Germany 80 years ago. Or have nothing to do with Liberty as they are American and they sat on the sidelines for the first half in both wars profiteering off both sides. And don’t get me started on what happened during the Boar War or 100 years war.

          1. FIA rule book
            Rule Number 2291
            “No driver shall jump on a political bandwagon for reasons of personal aggrandisement or even just to fight injustice.”

  20. Two race ban incoming by the looks of things. Really only has himself to blame – you could see them trying to stop him going out on the podium wearing it.

  21. The T-Shirts statement is not political. But the issue of continued Police brutality has caused increased mentioning of defunding or sanctioning and control of Law enforcement is becoming a bigger part in the upcoming Presidential election.
    Does the T-shirts statement on the front incite violence towards Law enforcement? I don’t think so. Any violence against Police is done by individuals already set on causing harm.
    I do believe that in this case Justice will ultimately be served. But looking at the issue here, I just think that The shirt rubbed some sponsors the wrong way and asked the FIA to do something.

  22. Hamilton’s activism will stop (be curtailed by the sponsors) when fans are allowed back into the circuits and at a podium presentation there is heard booing from the crowd.

    So while fans (paying public) are unable to voice their opinion, there will be no sanctioning of Hamilton’s activism. The sponsors and FIA don’t have a gauge on potential negative reactions. Until than it is free slather, or until a sponsors publicist sees negative reactions in the market place.

    1. He gets booed just for being on the podium so how are they going to tell what the crowd are booing for? But hasn’t he said that he would be happy for these F1 protests to cease at the end of the season? As it will be time to move away from protest and move more towards action.

  23. I’m an American and am very grateful that Lewis did this regardless of the FIA’s rules. The police here are completely out of control and operate more like government-sanctioned street gangs than public service agencies. It needs to stop and following the rules isn’t going to get us there. It will take many more courageous people to do what they feel is right regardless of the rules in place to protect the status quo.

    1. Tell that to the people in Portland. I’m not sure they’d agree the cops are the ones in an out of control street gang.

    2. @Ryanoceros666

      You are merely demonstrating your ignorance if you really think American cops are that bad. Of course, the media is constantly misleading us.

      The result is that according to a Pew survey, 3 in 10 Americans think that the cops shoot their weapon (outside of training) multiple times a year and 8 out of 10 think that the typical officer has shot at least once. Yet the fact is that only a quarter of officers has ever fired their weapon.

      What happened to the police free area called the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone, that was a test-bed for progressive reforms? It was extremely violent, with a homicide rate 50 times higher than Chicago’s. CHAZ also had the highest rate of unarmed black people killed by security forces per capita in the entire US.

      Radical like you have no clue how bad things can get and how good you have it.

    3. Well said. I am afraid for my life every time I get stopped by the cops in America.

  24. If nothing else he should be booked for chauvinism. There are obviously people that needs much attention outside American blacks. And even if it’s just about black lives, it should really be about the black slave market in Libya for example. But I guess they’re not ‘his people’ so it doesn’t matter so much.

    1. So who are these people who need more attention. The vast majority of his charity work involves children less fortunate than others, the homeless, the sick, the terminally ill, the young carers, those who have no access to education. Others issues he prioritises include environment, animal welfare and disabled combat vets. So what do you want him to prioritise instead of that?

      1. @riptide

        It’s pretty weird to prioritize Americans, when it is one of the richest countries in the world. The median American black person is extremely rich compared to the median African person & probably safer from police violence too.

        It’s a bit paradoxical how ‘globalists’ often seem extremely parochial.

      2. @riptide If you had read my comment instead of desperate knee-jerking you would have seen it’s clearly spelled out.

  25. Hamilton should welcome any investigation. It will give his cause more and prolonged publicity. Another version of the Streisand Effect.

  26. I’m only interested in what he does on track. I’m a fan of his driving but don’t give a hoot about the rest of it. When he’s done driving I’ll support another driver……maybe Norris or Albon or even Max!

  27. He had to show the t-shirt because last time in monza he was on the toilet.

  28. I totally agree with Hamilton’s views of the Breonna Taylor incident and the general Black Lives Matter movement. But I guess what the FIA is uncomfortable about is that sport should not be combined with politics. No driver is supposed to be bringing politics to the picture while on the podium. There have been so many unfortunate incidents that have occurred in the past – even during 9/11 the Ferrari team and Michael Schumacher expressed their profound grief by painting their cars in a unique livery. That’s something accepted. But no driver wore a t-shirt expressing any political opinion back then. I admire Hamilton’s forthright views, but I think he’s taking it too far. If he wants to preach, let him do it outside the track or on his Instagram account. Sport should be a sport.

    1. This isn’t politics it is human rights.

  29. While I favor more police accountability in the USA, legal action should be based on due process, not public pressure.

    As much as I like Lewis Hamilton, the podium ceremony at an international sporting event in Italy is not the time or place. It also opens the floodgates for every driver and team to bring up their political cause of the week, and again, it’s not the time or the place.

    Lewis Hamilton has enough media presence he can easily appear on any one of a number of American talk shows by making a few phone calls if he wants to talk to Americans about a problem in their country– although many of us, surprisingly, are already aware there’s an issue.

    I respect (and support!) Hamilton’s desire for change, but I sincerely hope Jean Todt called him up, and asked him, nicely, not to do that again. It might even be in the FIA’s interests to clarify that political activism has no place on the podium.

  30. Hamilton needs to tone down these activities ..now..the world is now very much in sync with racism troubles everywhere..so let it be and just drive.. set new records and be a humanitarian issues ambassador after retiring ..

  31. What I want to know is, what actually makes this killing and George Floyd a racist killing? Genuine question because I haven’t read up on it. A racially motivated killing isn’t just a white person killing a black person. It has to be proven they did it because of the victims colour or racial background. What proof of this do we have for both killings?

    1. +1

      Too often we leap to the conclusion that any violence between races is racially motivated.

      1. @Dane

        More violent crime is committed by black civilians against white civilians than vice versa (and this dwarfs police violence), so if all intra-racial violence is counted as racism, then black people would have to be considered more racist than white people.

        But that is obviously nonsense.

        1. Indeed, but I can’t remember the last time I heard a black person addressing this issue. Maybe if they worked on their own communities and violence towards each other it would have a much more positive effect.
          I in no way support police violence, but part of me can understand their frustration.

    2. @Saad Mughal

      There is zero evidence of racism. What seems to have happened is that the police knocked but didn’t announce themselves and then bashed open the door. Then Kenneth Walker, Breonna Taylor boyfriend, shot at and hit a police officer. The police then fired back. The weird part is that they didn’t hit Walker at all, but did hit Taylor. One officer seems to have fired blindly into the apartment, apparently in a panic. He has been fired.

      Perhaps they didn’t know that Taylor was there and confused her for Walker?

  32. Oh ffs! Stop this nonsense! Go play politics somewhere else.

      1. Completely agree

  33. So many uneducated… people (to put it kindly) on this site.

    You either allow all political statements or none. In that case, it should always be none. It’s sport, not parliament.

    If anyone wants to make these statements they can do it in their own time or quit & take up a full time position in their topic of choice. No one person should be bigger then the sport or use it for political motives in any direction.

  34. It reminds me of this:

    21 September 2019
    Organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest said Saturday they had fined Iceland after the band it entered displayed scarves with Palestinian flags during the contest’s final in Israel.

    Contest organizers the European Broadcasting Union said Saturday in a statement sent to AFP that the gesture infringed their rules banning political gestures.

  35. Here is the rule:

    If a white civilian shoots at the police and the police kills that civilian or people near them, then progressives tend to blame gun culture, arguing that the white civilian should not have had a gun, implying that it is their fault they got shot.

    If a black civilian shoots at the police and the police kills that civilian or people near them, then progressives tend to blame racism.

    This way, they don’t have to contend with the fact that the many police shootings of white civilians counter the racism narrative and that police are not invulnerable to bullets fired by black people anymore than those shot by white people.

  36. I like how he, the FIA and BLM ignores the fact that George Floyd and Jacob Blake were both convicted criminals.

    1. @sjzelli Irrelevant. And nobody is ignoring that. They did not deserve to be convicted and sentenced in the streets when they weren’t trying to harm a police officer on that day. Arrest them, take them in for questioning, charge them for a crime if there is evidence they have committed one. Death and paralysis in the streets? I guess you’re all for that? Doesn’t matter if they had already paid for past indiscretions?

      The fact is, yes there is a disproportionate amount of crime committed by black people in the US, but the underlying issue is that that is because many of them are desperate and marginalized by the society in which they live. I’m not excusing their behaviour, but there are systemic reasons for the statistics.

      1. Well said. I just think the FIA should remain impartial and/or not blindly let someone as one-sided as LH represent its views. Especially when there’s so many facets to a topic. It’s like him canvassing for climate

        1. Canvassing for climate change while showing up in his gas-powered Mercedes supercar.

  37. For the least it is a breach with his sponsors who’s logos were not visible bacause of that shirt.

    Last race he wasnt even attending his BLM party befor the race start, yet he attacks fellow racers who didnt kneel for him, more or less saying that they were racists if they didnt. In that light, not attending the end racism thing is even worse than not kneeling. He should now say he is a racist himself ?? Social media became social mass hysteria somewhere along the road….

    1. @cdfemke

      Lewis is honestly acting like a little dictator. The fact that he can get away with it, is itself pretty good evidence that discrimination is not that bad in F1.

  38. The greater the sanction on Hamilton for wearing this shirt, the much greater the contribution to the cause of human rights will be due to the diffusion that will be given throughout the world, so welcome.
    Come on, Jean, give the best current Formula 1 driver a heavy penalty.

  39. I must admit that I thought there would be some comment from the FIA, not because of the subject material, but because it’s been clear for years that drivers must wear designated attire for end of race and podium ceremonies.

    The most prime example is the caps they have to put on which bear a sponsors name.

    My guess is that there would be a “code of conduct” written into their driver contracts indicating that they are to wear their official race suits (with all sponsor logos clearly visible) and other such items like sponsor caps etc when attending presentation ceremonies.

    I’d suggest that this and only this is the issue that the FIA, and all sponsors, have, and not anything more than that. In many ways,mits not a great deal different than the helmet rules.

    Essentially, all a bit of a storm in a teacup, and a reminder to Lewis that there are protocols to follow regardless of their personal feelings.

    1. they are to wear their official race suits (with all sponsor logos clearly visible) and other such items like sponsor caps etc when attending presentation ceremonies.

      This is brilliant. Capitalisticly efficient.

  40. I think some of you need to understand the distinction between arrest and charging someone. The shirt is calling on those involved to be formally investigated by being arrested. At present it looks like they’ve not been fairly investigated and to the family it would seem they’ve been cleared of any wrong doing. I happen to think a internal investigation will be ongoing and the arrest will happen but you can’t rush these things. Living in the UK we don’t have a huge gun issue but I can appreciate why its important that police in the US should not be afraid to shoot if they feel they need to.

  41. I did notice the shirt and I thought it was a bit too stridently political for F1 or any other sport really–whether or not you support the basic message. I mean Zack de la Rocha can wear a “Free Mumia” t-shirt every day of the week but sportspeople should keep it more toned down (e.g. just a BLM shirt).

    I am however surprised they are investigating it. I assumed the t-shirt must have been cleared by the administrators before being shown on live TV.

    I really hope the punishment isn’t a grid or points penalty or anything that’s going to influence the driver’s championship. That would suck as a Hamilton fan but I don’t think it would be appropriate anyway.

  42. Paddy Down Under
    15th September 2020, 0:34

    The matter of Breonna Taylor’s shooting is still under investigation. From what we know so far, police were greeted with a barrage of gunfire from Taylor’s boyfriend. Unless Lewis knows something the Louisville prosecutors don’t– such as, that the police simply went into a house because they wanted to shoot up some black folks– then Lewis is expressing a partisan political viewpoint which is incendiary and stupid.

    But BLM is a partisan political organisation too, and F1 have completely empowered Lewis with every resource available to push their propaganda. So it would make no sense for the FIA to penalise Lewis. Instead, they’ll probably force all the other drivers to wear the same t-shirts.

    F1 is the next big thing to fall to corporate wokeness. Please. Make it stop.

  43. I’m not sure Hamilton cares what the FIA thinks. Just wearing it and everyone commenting on it is doing exactly what he wanted. More awareness about the injustice in this world.

  44. It would be nice to know what kinds of penalties or rerimands he might expect to get?

    1. Send him back to F2 to prove himself!

  45. The virtue signalling in F1 this year is disgusting.

  46. Can’t wait to see Gasly or Ocon or Grosjean wearing ‘Arrest the cops who beat yellow vests’, Kimi in ‘Arrest the people who brew non-alcoholic beer’ or Perez in ‘Arrest Lawrence Stroll’ shirts etc. Folks this is a sport, not a venue for political wack jobs. The very fact that many you write such lengthy posts about police violence, racism, political issues in every corner of the world while all you can post about the sport is +1 or BS, only confirms that any issues non related directly to the sport must be banned and severely punished by FIA. When Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic won 100m in Euro 2012 and appeared on podium wearing t-shirt reading ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ he was disqualified from the rest of the games.

  47. FIA need advice. They are picking a fight they cannot win – and now cannot back out of.
    If they let Lewis off with no sanction, he will only get bolder and they will have lost all authority. If they sanction him, their own “we race as one” message rings hollow and they get labelled racists and what not – remember, Lewis has already spotlighted the FIA for not doing enough to encourage diversity in the sport.
    Looking at the FIA statutes, the closest one comes to the mention of political activities is 1.1, “The FIA shall refrain from manifesting discrimination on account of race, skin colour, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic or social origin, language, religion, philosophical or political opinion, family situation or disability in the course of its activities and from taking any action in this respect.”
    As Lewis has not openly voiced a political opinion by wearing that t-shirt, this cannot be applied to him. The next closest statute is the one that bans teams from “affixing to their automobiles advertising that is political or religious in nature or that is prejudicial to the interests of the FIA”.
    This is perhaps the FIA’s best bet, but would easily be overturned if they used ti to sanction Lewis and he chose to go to the Court for Arbitration in Sport – all of which would leave the FIA looking very bad, pummelled by the media left, centre and right, and would certainly lose it support in non-ethnic-European places where Lewis is hugely popular, including Asia and Africa and certainly the Caribbean.
    So what does the FIA do now?
    It appears their only option is to attribute the threat to investigate Lewis to “an unauthorised individual”, maybe sack some lowly minion, and look the other way as Lewis claims a moral victory.

    1. Agree, but you are forgetting that Lewis could continue down this path and find himself without a contract for some completely unrelated reason.

  48. This is all FIA fault. Once they let Lewis wearing different shirt, this was the consequences that follow. It’s a slippery slope ruling in the first place.

    Lewis should doubling it down, wear ‘End Trump’ shirt or something. Also Kvyat should wear ‘End Monarchy’ shirt.

    1. Forgot to add, fans should wear ‘End Fossil Fuel’ shirt.

    2. @ruliemaulana Coming back to your point about it being a slippery slope. I read that the FIA aren’t actually investigating Lewis per se. They are investigating what their rules actually allow since if this is not communicated clearly soon then a rubicon will be crossed with no way back.

      Lewis will probably get away with this (although been seen to have to pay a fine will amplify this to levels he couldn’t previously reach), but I expect to hear from the FIA a more prescriptive list of allowable ‘non-racing’ activities during weekends as a whole.

      1. @chimaera2003 Yes. It’s about how FIA see a statement about on going investigation were political or not. If FIA said it was political, there was a precedence when Turkey GP organizer fined $5 millions in 2006. If FIA said it was not political, they should not complain if Lewis wear ‘arrest Putin & say Alexei Navalny name’ shirt in Russia.

  49. Unfortunately Lewis is being very controversial on this and definitely causing a split, I have lost respect for him as I find his position very biased and racist.
    Interesting to note the “Premier League to display No Room For Racism instead of Black Lives Matter badges on kits“, this indicates a movement away from BLM directly and towards a more inclusive view on Racism. Lewis would be better off supporting something along these lines as none of us can argue that is political charged or favors any particular demographic, instead it encompasses all of us in a positive manner.
    Yes there are those that will argue it is a white elitist logo, I feel sorry for them, they really do have a problem.

    The issue i see with the above article is that once again the incident is assumed to have occurred due to racial differences, when there is actually no (0) data, information or fact to indicate that it was due to racism that it happened. The racial slant is being used even when it is not valid.
    Can we assume that when a white person is killed by a Black Police Officer it is racist? (And yes it happens)
    No we can’t. We need to let the coarse of justice be taken, the situation considered and the facts gathered and determine the appropriate coarse of action.
    Don’t take what you read in the press as gospel, don’t even believe it is close to the truth or complete in detail.
    Don’t call out guilty in the press or here without any facts other than what the press has sold you, it could be you one day not getting a fair trial due to exactly this type of rubbish and unsubstantiated perspective.
    Should the Cops go thru the legal process? Of coarse they should, regardless of the colour of the Cops or the victim, and they will.
    Will the legal system satisfy everyone’s desires? No, but it is the best system we have and disbanding it will definitely not improve the situation.

  50. I support the idea of Lewis 100% but simply you should wear your work uniform at work, during the event. You are a Mercedes employee. Once the race is done, then continue doing your great thing. I wouldnt ask my boss to wear a “save the whales” t-shirt in a meeting

  51. Lol, here we go again.

    I dont really care, they wanna do some SJW on podium.

    I hole they protest poor show, abn turn down aero and engine, for some racing equality. So a driver not of Mercedes race can fight for wins.

    1. All the others are fighting for wins. They’re just not very good at it compared to Mercedes. Complain to Red Bull, Ferrari and the other teams.

  52. I have to admit it warms my heart seeing Hamilton wearing that shirt. I’ve been a Hamilton fan way before he started speaking out politically. I’m an avid BLM protestor, and I live in the same state she was killed in. The f1 world almost never ties in with my everyday life, I live in America and I only know one other person who watches f1. Seeing him get involved with something else I’m intensely passionate touches me deeply.

  53. Just but-out FIA. As if they know what’s going on. Lewis is raising awareness and if they’re not comfortable about it, or anyone for that matter. Maybe they should have a hard look at themselves.

    1. The FIA don’t want to be put into a position where they are forced to pick and choose between causes and political movements.

      I guarantee they wouldn’t allow a t-shirt that criticises the Chinese government, Russian government, a UAE government in any way.

  54. I honestly don’t know about this particular case so I’m not going to pronunce regarding the merits (or not) of raising awareness to it. What I do believe is that if Hamilton (or anyone else) should infringe the sporting regulations by doing something like this they should be penalised accordingly and the FIA shouldn’t be accused of racism or trying to silence drivers. Now, whether or not the regulations should be changed is another matter entirely.

    If you truly believe that what you are fighting for is indeed worth fighting for you should accept the consequences that come from that fight.

    How many civil rights activists had an easy time in their fight? None, I reckon… How many of them went to jail, have been hurt, even died fighting for what they believe is right? Most of them, probably. Should have they been hurt, put to jail or killed? Probably not, but they were willing to face the consequences regardless of what those were and that made their fight even more meaningful.

  55. This whole comments section on this article shows that mixing sport and politics is a really bad idea. With everything going on in the world currently all it is doing is trying to drive a wedge between people further. When the lockdown first came into place this year you could see the general populous starting to put their differing political views aside to come together for the betterment of their fellow man/woman (apart from the toilet paper fiasco). things have changed now unfortunately, and sport, as a form of escapism from all the troubles the real world hands out, is no longer a way to escape the politicizing of everything in everyday life. It is what it is I guess, its just a shame

  56. FIA have beaten a hasty retreat. Shoudl never have made this an issue in the first place.

    https://www.bbc.com/sport/formula1/54161846

  57. Everything is a warzone.

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