Lewis Hamilton on Thursday said there was a “racial element” to International Automobile Federation (FIA) president Mohammed ben Sulayem’s recent comments regarding drivers swearing during Formula 1 races.
In an interview with motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem said: “We have to differentiate between our sport — motorsport — and rap music” when referring to drivers having a responsibility to stop swearing on the radio.
“We’re not rappers, you know,” Ben Sulayem said.
Photo: Reuters
Responding to those remarks ahead of tomorrow’s Singapore Grand Prix, seven-time champion Hamilton said: “With what he said, I don’t like how he has expressed it. Saying ‘rappers’ is very stereotypical.”
“If you think about it, most rappers are black. So it says, ‘We are not like them.’ So I think those are the wrong choice of words and there is a racial element there,” he added.
Hamilton, the only black driver in F1, did say that he also has concerns about swearing.
“I definitely think there is a little bit too much of it. I agree it needs cleaning up, but it is also good to show some emotion. We are not robots,” the Mercedes driver said.
The FIA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
There have been prior disagreements between Hamilton and Ben Sulayem.
They previously clashed over the FIA president’s attempts to enforce a ban on wearing jewelry while driving.
Hamilton in March said that Ben Sulayem “never” had his backing, while commenting on a legal dispute at the time involving Susie Wolff, director of the all-female junior racing series F1 Academy, and the FIA.
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