Following the incidents at Spielberg, Lewis Hamilton urges the sport to do more and criticises the “We Race as One” campaign as an empty promise
The cases of harassment and insult on the sidelines of the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Spielberg also caused horror in the paddock. Among others, Sebastian Vettel found clear words, calling for a “zero tolerance” policy and strict bans for fans who behave offensively at race tracks.
Formula 1 itself released a statement saying, “This type of behaviour is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.” It said it was taking the matter very seriously, would speak to those affected and would investigate the incidents closely.
When asked what the sport and drivers can do together to tackle this, Lewis Hamilton makes it clear that, in his view, more needs to be done than has been done so far. “We need to do more to promote diversity and inclusion,” said the Briton.
“Because that then reflects the direction we’re going in and it also often reflects what our fan base looks like. It’s time to act. “We Race as One was all well and good, but it was just words,” Hamilton criticised the campaign Formula 2020 launched to strive for more diversity.
– Formula 1 (@F1) July 10, 2022
This has worked more poorly than it should, as the Formula One record world champion finds: “There was no funding for anything, there was no programme to actually bring about change and start that discussion.”
“So we definitely need to use our platforms, but we really need to go a step further and put some of the things we say into action. Just saying that is not enough. It’s unacceptable. It’s not enough,” he cautions.
