No more kneeling! F1 needs to focus on more community diversity, according to Domenicali. Hamilton is an asset to the world, he says

No more kneeling in Formula 1. Its representatives have come to this decision because they want the campaign, called We Race as One, to focus more on the greater diversity of the F1 community. The president of the queen of motorsport, Stefano Domenicali, and the driver Sebastian Vettel have also given their comments on the situation.

Since the start of the 2020 season, F1 has set aside a specific time (usually a few hours before the start of the race) for drivers to take a knee or make another gesture to show solidarity in the fight against racism.

However, this ceremony has now been abandoned by Formula 1, but drivers will still be able to make room in their schedules for some sort of display.

“I don’t think we’re an industry where we should interfere significantly in politics. However, it is time to move from gestures to actions. We are now focusing on more diversity in the F1 community,” said its president – Stefano Domenicali – in a recent interview with Sky F1, quoted by Motorsport.

Even Lewis Hamilton, who has been pushing hard for diversity for some time, has been specifically informed of F1’s plans.

“I think Lewis’ continuation is very important. He’s been an incredible asset to F1, actually not just for us, but for the whole world. Plus, he still has a chance to win an eighth world title,” Domenicali said of Hamilton.

As part of the actions that the Queen of Motorsport is taking to improve diversity, she has improved the opportunities in terms of the engineering scholarship programme for under-represented groups. The scheme has so far supported ten students who have started their placements at universities in the UK and Italy.

However, Sebastian Vettel, who is one of the most vocal drivers in F1 when it comes to various social issues, was somewhat surprised by the move. As well as racism, he has also taken various actions to fight pollution and is a strong supporter of LGBT people.

The German racer claims that the problems that not only Formula 1, but the whole world is struggling with will not disappear in two years. In a statement at the presentation of the new Aston Martin AMR22 monoposto, he said he and other drivers will be looking for ways to make their voices heard.

Sources