Lewis Hamilton has sat down with Sky Sports F1 ahead of the British Grand Prix this weekend at Silverstone and he has responded to the abhorrent Nelson Piquet comments.
Piquet used racially derogative language when referring to Hamilton in a podcast last year, with the majority of the Formula One grid speaking out in defence of the seven-time world champion.
Hamilton himself also shared his views on Twitter, but has since gone in depth on the problems heâs faced and why he feels he can make a difference.
This was released after Mercedes launched their Ignite Partnership which is designed to boost diversity and inclusion in motorsport.
When asked about how he deals with the disgusting abuse received, he responded as eloquently as you would imagine, saying: âIt saddens me to think that we still live in a time where so many of us face this, but it takes a long time to change.
âIf you look back in history, look at Martin Luther King and the things he was doing back then and weâre still fighting things like that today and itâll continue.
April 1965: Dr Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968) addresses civil rights marchers in Selma, Alabama, April 1965. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
âI read a really cool book called âThe Four Agreementsâ and one of the agreements was that to not take things personally, so things I tried not to do, like I donât really read whatâs online, in my space obviously thereâs things being written but I try not to read things said online, I try not to give it energy.
âI feel like Iâm living my purpose, itâs tough, but I was built to be able to withstand this, Iâve always wondered why Iâm the only black driver thatâs come through, like why me? Not only that, Iâm at the front and for a long long time I never really fully understood it, but I really fell into my calling in 2020.
âThatâs why I started Mission 44 and Iâm working with the team with Ignite to really champion and support young and upcoming talent, because I remember when I was young, at my school period of time I never had a person of colour as a teacher.
BAKU, AZERBAIJAN - JUNE 12: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes looks on ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on June 12, 2022 in Baku, Azerbaijan. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
âI remember the barriers I experienced from people just being ignorant but also in the educational system thereâs a lot of barriers naturally for people from unserved communities.
âSo thatâs like my calling, thatâs what Iâm focussed on outside, my racingâs cool, Iâm going to continue to do that but I realise Iâm racing for something much much bigger than that.
âI know thereâs the young me out there at eight years old or whatever it is who might be looking at the race thinking I can do that or now the new engineers youâre seeing, theyâre starting to be more diverse and thereâs girls there, thereâs women there so I can be an engineer and thatâs what Iâm putting all my energy too to try and shift, but itâs going to take time.â
Itâs testament to his character that he is able to carry himself so well despite everything he has to go through. His dedication to making a change too is remarkable, so many people could use their platform to say the right things, but Hamilton is trying to make things happen and is acting on his words, his statements arenât empty, he is doing everything possible to drive for changes we desperately need in society.