Lewis Hamilton has revealed the messages he’s worn on his shirt ahead of Formula One races this year have been lines from a poem he wrote for Black History Month.
Since the start of 2020’s season, Hamilton has used the time before the race to take the knee and wear a shirt with a statement on it. Last year he opted for individual messages – such as “Black Lives Matter” and “Arrest the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor” – but this week he revealed his 2021 messages have all been connected.
Hamilton wrote a poem to mark Black History Month in the UK, which runs throughout October, and decided to release one line every race. He revealed each shirt has been designed by a different artist of colour.
Posting each to Instagram, he told his followers to look out for the rest of the season at the remaining races of the 2021 season, which continues with the U.S. Grand Prix at Austin’s circuit of the Americas on Oct. 24.
Hamilton shared every line on his Instagram, meaning the poem currently reads as:
When will we change?
It’s OK to listen
It’s OK to question our way of living
Racial inequality hides in plain sight
We breathe the same air, let’s fight the same fight
Let’s work together
Let’s go the distance
Let’s show compassion
Let’s show persistence
We are in control of our own existence
Build or destroy, we all know the difference
We’ve waited patiently to have this conversation
We are no longer waiting
We’re no longer waiting
In the name of justice we raise our voices
We learn, we grow, we make out choices
Let’s choose respect
Hamilton is going for a record eighth F1 championship this season. Heading to Austin, he trails title rival Max Verstappen by six points.