Lewis Hamilton asserts that he will continue to speak out on matters close to him amid a ban on political statements from the FIA.
Last year, an updated International Sporting Code outlined that unapproved political, religious or personal statements were prohibited across the FIA’s motorsport categories.
The rule has been met by backlash from several F1 drivers, including Hamilton who has been one of the most vocal voices on the grid across the last number of years.
The seven-time World Champion has used his F1 platform to promote awareness of diversity and inclusion, while he has also been an advocate for human rights.
Speaking at the launch of the Mercedes W14 on Wednesday, Hamilton says that the regulation won’t put an end to his activism.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” he said. “But nothing will stop me from speaking on the things that I’m passionate about, and on issues that there are.
“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. So nothing changes for me.”
The FIA has not yet outlined what ramifications a driver could meet if they go against the ISC ruling.
However, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has backed the drivers, asserting that the sport does not wish to gag them going forward and restrict them from speaking out.
While Hamilton says that he does not wish to take on penalties for speaking his mind, he suggested he is willing to do so regardless of the consequences.
“I think It would be silly to say that I would want to get penalty points for speaking out on things,” he said. “But as I said, I am still going to be speaking my mind.
“We still have this platform and there are still a lot of things we need to tackle.
“The support from Stefano has been amazing and I think all of the drivers have been very much aligned on freedom of speech.”
Keyword: ‘Nothing will stop me from speaking out’ – Hamilton on FIA statement ban