Lewis Hamilton questioned why older drivers who are no longer “relevant” are being given a platform, following the Nelson Piquet controversy.
Hamilton has received widespread support following the emergence of an interview with Piquet, where the three-time World Champion referred to Hamilton with a racial slur, though Piquet has denied that this was the intent.
Piquet has since had this honorary member status with the British Racing Drivers’ Club suspended, while multiple reports claim that the Brazilian has been indefinitely banned from the Formula 1 paddock.
Hamilton initially offered a response on social media, but at the British Grand Prix driver press conference he was asked further about the matter.
This would lead him to question why the “older voices” are still being given the chance to talk about Formula 1 when attitudes have changed.
“Firstly, I’m incredibly grateful to to all those that have been supportive within the sport, particularly the drivers,” he told media personnel at Silverstone.
“It’s been two years since many of us took the knee at the frustration in Austria and of course, we’re still faced with the challenges.
“I’ve been on the receiving end of of racism and criticism and that negativity and archaic narratives for a long long time, and undertones of discrimination, so there’s nothing really particularly new for me.
“I think it’s more about the bigger picture. I mean, I don’t know why we are continuing to give these older voices a platform, because they are speaking upon our sport and we’re looking to go somewhere completely different and that’s not representative I think of who we are as a sport now and where we are planning to go.
“If we’re looking to grow, in the US and other countries, South Africa and grow our audience we need to look into the future and give the younger people a platform that is more representative of today’s time and who we’re trying to be, the direction that we’re going [in].
“So it’s not just about one individual. It’s not about just that one use of that term. It is the bigger picture.”
The FIA and Formula 1 issued statements condemning Piquet’s actions, so Hamilton was asked if this response went far enough in his eyes?
He suggested that such statements are more of a “knee jerk reaction” which most companies have prepared these days.
He stressed that this is not necessarily true for the FIA and F1, but regardless, feels it is time for…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at News – PlanetF1…