Lewis Hamilton said his motivation for remaining in Formula One after claiming a seventh world championship is the chance to use his platform to make the world a better place.
Hamilton moved level with Michael Schumacher’s record of championships with a supreme drive to victory at the Turkish Grand Prix.
While Hamilton has excelled on track this season he has also been outspoken on the issues of racial equality and diversity. The world champion launched the Hamilton Commission earlier this year to push for more diversity in motor racing.
Hamilton has knelt ahead of every F1 race and has worn a shirt saying ‘Black Lives Matter’ ahead of every grand prix — before and after September’s event at Mugello, he wore a shirt saying ‘Arrest the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor’.
There had been speculation that Hamilton, who is yet to sign a contract extension beyond 2020 with Mercedes, might walk away from F1 at the end of the season, but he downplayed that suggestion.
« I feel like I’m only just getting started, » he said. « It is really weird. I feel physically in great shape and mentally. »
« I would love to stay. I feel like we’ve got a lot of work to do here. You know that we’ve only just begun. I want to push to hold ourselves accountable as a sport, to realise that we’ve got to face and not ignore the human rights issues that are around the countries that we go to.
« It’s how can we engage with those countries and help them, and empower them to do more to really change, not 10 years from now, nor 20 years from now, but now. I want to help F1. I want to help Mercedes, in that journey.
« And also particularly moving more sustainable, you know, as a sport. The whole thing of when we need to be more sustainable. I want to try and see if I can be part of that, at least the initial phase of that, for a little bit longer. »
He later called on people to unify together and make the world a more equal place.
Writing on Instagram, Hamilton said: « Leading up to today and even after I crossed the line, I’ve been gathering my thoughts about what’s most important to me. This year has been so unpredictable.
« With the pandemic and obviously the season being pushed back by several months, I had the most downtime I’ve ever had in my life. It gave me the chance to really think about my ultimate purpose. Seven World Championships means the world to me, I can’t even describe how much, but there’s still another race we’ve yet to win.
« This year I’ve been driven not just by my desire to win on the track, but a desire to help push our sport, and our world to become more diverse and inclusive. I promise you I am not going to stop fighting for change. We have a long way to go, but I will continue to push for equality within our sport, and within the greater world we live in.
« Equaling Michael Schumacher’s record puts a spotlight on me that I know won’t be here forever. So, while you’re here, paying attention, I want to ask everyone to do their part in helping to create a more equal world. Let’s be more accepting and kinder to each other. Let’s make it so that opportunity is not something that is dependent on background or skin colour.
« Nothing is impossible. A driving force for me this year has been to set an example for the next generation, to never give up on your dreams. I was told by many that my dream was impossible, yet here I am. I want you to know that you can do it too. Never give up, keep fighting, and let’s keep rising to the occasion. »
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/30320972/lewis-hamilton-wants-stay-f1-change-world
