Lewis Hamilton attended a Black Lives Matter protest in London’s Hyde Park at the weekend and said he left “feeling extremely positive that change will come”.
Hamilton, F1’s only black driver and its reigning champion, has been outspoken in his support of the movement. On Sunday, a day after launching the Hamilton Commission, aimed at improving diversity in motor racing, he attended the peaceful protest in the UK capital.
In a post to Instagram which showed Hamilton at the protest with a mask, the Mercedes driver wrote: “Went down to Hyde Park today for the peaceful protest and I was so proud to see in person so many people of all races and backgrounds supporting this movement.
“It was really moving. I’m feeling extremely positive that change will come, but we cannot stop now”.
Went down to Hyde Park today for the peaceful protest and I was so proud to see in person so many people of all races and backgrounds supporting this movement. It was really moving. I’m feeling extremely positive that change will come, but we cannot stop now. #blacklivesmatter ✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/koOTEPOXAh
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) June 21, 2020
On Monday F1 followed up by launching its own initiative, WeRaceAsOne, which will look to tackle the issue of racism and inequality at all levels of the sport.
The start of the F1 season was delayed by the global coronavirus pandemic, which led to the postponement or cancellation of the opening 10 races. An amended schedule will see the season start with the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5.