Lewis Hamilton has called on Formula One and his fellow drivers to stay focused on the sport's anti-racism stance and present a less chaotic image before next Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix.
The six-times world champion said after winning Sunday's Styrian Grand Prix that a number of drivers wanted to stop the pre-race anti-racism gestures and that he felt some teams were not doing enough to show solidarity with the movement.
"The drivers spoke after the drivers' briefing this weekend about what we intended to do and some were asking, 'Why do we have to continue to do this?'" he said. "Some felt like once was enough last week.
"I just had to encourage them that racism is here, [is] going to be here and probably [will] be here longer than our time here – and people of colour, who are subject to racism, don't have time to take a moment to protest.
"We've really got to think, as a sport, what we can do because those are nice signs, but passion is needed."
Despite Hamilton's efforts, at least four drivers remained standing while others took a knee and several appeared to be absent when they appeared together at the front of the grid before Sunday's race.
The previous week, before the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, 14 took a knee and six stood, all explaining why they took that decision. At both races, all of the drivers wore the sport's End Racism T-shirts alongside Hamilton, whose shirt carried the Black Lives Matter message.
Hamilton's Mercedes team all took a knee in the pit-lane and on the grid behind the drivers, but the gesture was not unanimously supported by all involved as it has been in many other major sports.
"F1 has come forward and said they are supporting ending racism and it is amazing to see Mercedes is also doing that, but no other team has done a single thing," said Hamilton.
"The Red Bull mechanics have taken a knee, but if you look at Ferrari they have thousands of people working for them, but I have heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable and what they are going to do in the future.
"We have to continue to push for equality and raise awareness. For me, personally, it is going to be a lifelong thing."
Hamilton, who lifted a clenched fist to mark his victory at the Red Bull Ring, also made clear that he was supporting the social justice cause represented by the BLM campaign, not the political activity.
Speaking to reporters at a post-race video news conference, Hamilton also said he had spent time explaining the issues to other drivers individually.
"I've made it clear I'm not supporting the political side, I'm supporting the human rights side," he said. "I've said: 'Guys, I'm going to do it.' There were some that said: 'Well, I already did it last week – I'm not doing it again.'
"And there were some that continued to have the same approach they had to the first week and that's why I tried to spend a bit more one-on-one time with a few of those that had chosen to stand, just to have a chat.
"From the drivers' point of view, we are going to come closer during this period of time. I'm not saying that everyone is going to be taking a knee, but over time, as we begin to talk about this more often, I'd like to think that at some stage we will all be together, understanding taking a knee."
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
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Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
