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Lewis Hamilton says the new F1 rule won't stop him from speaking out about political and social justice issues.
The racer told ESPN that the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile's (FIA) implementation of the new rule prohibiting drivers from "the general making and display of political, religious and personal statements or comments notably in violation of the general principle of neutrality promoted by the FIA" at race events isn't surprising.
"It doesn't surprise me," Hamilton said of the rule added in December. "But nothing will stop me from speaking on the things that I'm passionate about, and on issues that there are."
Hamilton took his stance a step further, saying the sport should be an avid advocate for social justice issues.
"The sport does have a responsibility still to speak out, to create awareness on important topics, particularly as we travel to all these different places," he said, adding, "So nothing changes for me."
The F1 star said it would be "silly" to believe that he "would want to get penalty points for speaking out," but he's still going to be an advocate for issues he's passionate about.
"We still have this platform, and there are still a lot of things we need to tackle," Hamilton said.
Back in 2020, Hamilton wore a shirt reading "Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor" after winning the Tuscan Grand Prix, which prompted Formula One to change the rules on what drivers can wear on the podium.
At the time, Hamilton told Wall Street Journal, "Well, they've changed a lot of rules after a lot of things that I've done."
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