Lewis Hamilton has urged his Mercedes team to continue using the pride logo on the nose of his F1 car for the rest of the season.
The Silver Arrows have decided to replace their silver three pointed star with a ‘Pride Star’ for the next three races in Baku, Montreal and Silverstone to celebrate Pride Month.
And now, seven time World Champion Hamilton has told his team to maintain their support for the LGBTQ+ community by using the Pride Star for the remainder of the season.
However, if they do decide to press ahead with Hamilton’s suggestion, it will cause problems further down the line as races will be held in Singapore and Abu Dhabi, where same sex relationships are prohibited.
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Hamilton took to Instagram to share a reel from Mercedes’ official account showing the Pride Star being applied on his car, Hamilton said: “Let’s use it for the rest of the year.”
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem is under fire after appearing to hit out at drivers for speaking out about human rights and mental health issues.
Ben Sulayem was appointed in December but has already started to drift the sport’s governing body away from the owner of F1, Liberty Media.
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His recent comments will not have gone down well with the drivers also.
He was quoted saying: “Niki Lauda and Alain Prost only cared about driving. Now, Vettel drives a rainbow bicycle, Lewis is passionate about human rights and Norris addresses mental health.”
“Everybody has the right to think. To me, it is about deciding whether we should impose our beliefs in [sic] something over the sport all the time.”
Unsurprisingly, Ben Sulayem’s comments caused a huge backlash on social media, he has since tried to explain his comments, stating that he does support drivers who are trying to raise awareness.
He said on Twitter: “As a driver, I have always believed in sport as a catalyst of progress in society. That is why promoting sustainability, diversity and inclusion is a key priority of my mandate.”
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“In the same way, I value the commitment of all drivers and champions for a better future.”
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be held in Baku across this weekend, reigning champion Max Verstappen will look to extend his lead over Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc with a win. Verstappen currently has a nine point lead at the top of the drivers' standings.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Lewis Hamilton, Max Verstappen, Mercedes, Formula 1
