Lewis Hamilton has revealed that Sebastian Vettel once told him that he’d heard some F1 teams make “racist” comments about the Mercedes driver, with Hamilton being keen to make people “empathise against racism”.
Vettel was one of Hamilton’s biggest supporters during the Black Lives Matter movement, following the tragic murder of George Floyd.
The four-time World Champion was one of the first drivers to take a knee with the 38-year-old in 2020, with the retired driver being viewed as “brave” by Hamilton.
Hamilton is continuing to push for equality and diversity in motorsport, with the driver being a leading figure in opening up opportunities for everybody.
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At the same time, he’s also focusing on his own personal targets, the biggest of which is to become an unprecedented eight-time World Champion.
The 103-time race winner has his “sights set” on an eighth crown, with him wanting no “distractions” on his path to achieving the record-breaking milestone.
“I want to win my eighth title,” Hamilton told broadcaster DAZN on the True Driver program.
“I have my sights set on my next world championship. I am completely focused on that and I don’t want distractions.”
Social issues continue to get in the way though, most notably, racism.
Hamilton is keen to “educate others” to make the world a better place, with the driver having often shown support for the likes of the LGBTQ community in the Middle East.
Despite all the work he’s done, Hamilton admits that he questions whether “anyone else cares” about the likes of racism, something Vettel certainly supported him on and in the fight against.
“We have to get people to empathise against racism,” said Hamilton. “We need empathy. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else cares.
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“Sebastian Vettel was one of those who supported me the most,” he revealed. “He told me that some teams spoke racist things about me.
“He took the knee with me in 2020. I have not yet seen a driver as brave as him. We have to change the laws so that people live better.
“We are risking our lives to try to educate others.”