British racing driver Lewis Hamilton continues to dominate in the sport after winning his seventh Formula One world title at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.
According to ESPN, Hamilton, 35, stands alongside driver Michael Schumacher in the F1 record books as the most successful driver of all time. Realizing the impact he has, Hamilton often uses his voice and platform to bring attention to human rights issues and racial injustices.
Read More: Lewis Hamilton says he ‘won’t let up’ after possible investigation into Breonna Taylor shirt
I want to push to hold ourselves accountable as a sport, to realize that we’ve got to face and not ignore the human rights issues that are around the countries that we go to,” Hamilton said.
“It’s how can we engage with those countries and help them, and empower them to do more to really change, not 10 years from now, nor 20 years from now, but now. I want to help F1. I want to help Mercedes, in that journey,” he continued.
Hamilton was one of the public figures who spoke passionately about the killing of Breonna Taylor in March. He was also seen kneeling in a photo with a shirt that read, “Arrest the Cops Who Killed Breonna Taylor” in September.
Hamilton took to social media to share a thoughtful post after his win and how the downtime from the global pandemic gave him time to reflect on what’s important to him.
“It gave me the chance to really think about my ultimate purpose. Seven World Championships means the world to me, I can’t even describe how much, but there’s still another race we’ve yet to win,” he said.
“This year I’ve been driven not just by my desire to win on the track, but by a desire to help push our sport, and our world to become more diverse and inclusive. I promise you I am not going to stop fighting for change. We have a long way to go but I will continue to push for equality within our sport, and within the greater world we live in,” Hamilton continued.
In a video shared by Formula 1 on Twitter, on his cool down lap, Hamilton became emotional during the accomplishment by giving a speech.
“That’s for all the kids out there who dream the impossible. You can do it too, man! I believe in you guys! Thank you so much!”
Fellow F1 driver George Russell commended Hamilton for “setting the bar ridiculously high.”
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