Seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton has hit out at governments across the world, who continue to restrict the rights of women and those in the LGBT+ community.
Hamilton has been a huge supporter and campaigner for women’s rights and LGBT+ rights, with the Mercedes driver often seen wearing supportive clothing in countries where the issues are present.
The 38-year-old famously wore a stunning LGBT-themed helmet at the Middle Eastern races in 2021 and in 2022, with the likes of Qatar and Saudi Arabia being places where same-sex marriage is illegal.
Hamilton’s helmet this season also features the LGBT+ flag, with the 103-time race winner not concerned at all whether his support results in him being thrown “in jail”.
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“For me, it is mind blowing that we live in a time still where there are so many countries around the world but particularly a lot of human rights issues in the middle east,” Hamilton said on Mercedes’ YouTube channel.
“Women’s rights, LGBT rights. There are laws that restrict people from being their true selves. I have always been a risk taker, and like ‘I’m going to do this whether or not they throw me in jail, I don’t care what they’re going to do’. I would stand for something I believe in, even if it kills me.”
It’s not just women’s rights and the LGBT+ community that Hamilton has been a vocal support of in recent years, with the Stevenage-born driver having also been a key figure in F1’s campaign in support of ‘Black Lives Matter’.
One of the most famous pictures in modern F1 is from 2020, where four-time World Champion Sebastian Vettel took the knee alongside Hamilton, following the murder of George Floyd.
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“It was an uproar of people finally standing up and saying enough was enough of what was happening around the world,” Hamilton continued.
“This was a really tough year because I’d gone through the sport as the only person of colour from my whole career. I remember coming to the first race wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt, and I remember Seb standing by me and taking the knee with me.
“We stood arm in arm against lots of different causes. I was grateful for Seb being with me.”