Lewis Hamilton has revealed the helmet he will wear for the Austrian Grand Prix which bears the ‘Black Lives Matter’ slogan.
The six-times world champion has been vocal in his support of anti-racism protesters and the Black Lives Matter movement following the death of George Floyd in May.In response to a suggestion by Hamilton, Mercedes has already changed the livery of its car to black, featuring the slogan ‘end racism’, and revealed black overalls for both its drivers.
Hamilton revealed a new helmet in a matching black share with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ logo prominent on the top. The ‘Still I Rise’ slogan on the back has been altered to read ‘Still We Rise’.
“For a long time we’ve been planning the livery change with the car and suit change,” said Hamilton on social media. “I’ve also designed my helmet to be black and purple this year.
“I’ve only just seen this for the first time. Normally my helmet’s white, my suit is white and obviously the car is silver.”
Pointing at the ‘Black Lives Matter’ logo, Hamilton said: “This is the whole reason that the helmet has changed its colour, that my suit has and also the car. It’s supporting equality above all and really continuing to solidify that important message as we currently now have the mic and people are starting to listen.
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“It’s an opportunity to continue to push that message and really hold people accountable. Brands and the teams and Formula 1 and everybody here needs to be held accountable and be open to educating themselves, being open to understanding why the Black Lives movement is happening and why around the world we need to be pushing for equality.
“Because it’s not good enough. Even if someone says to you ‘we’ve been doing something’ or ‘we’ve been trying’, they need to try harder because it is still a big issue that the world is fighting, 60 years later after Martin Luther King was fighting for it and gave his life. So that’s what it’s about. I kept the purple from what I planned to start with the season, it’s my favourite colour.”
The positioning of the ‘Black Lives Matter’ logo will ensure it features prominently in any onboard shots from the roll hoop on Hamilton’s W11. “I hope you get to see it when I’m in the car,” he added.
Still WE Rise ✊🏾 #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/kj2cxElMZ0
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 2, 2020
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James Neutron (@phillyspur)
2nd July 2020, 21:15
Oh my god. The horror. The world is ending. No one will ever watch F1 again.
JC
2nd July 2020, 21:28
Looking forward to seeing Hamilton’s black and purple helmet on TV!
Tommy Scragend
2nd July 2020, 22:13
I think that’s a different kind of pay-per-view
Andrey Baydin (@minilemm)
3rd July 2020, 10:50
Ahah thanks boys, didnt expect this comment section to be fun (why did I even get here) but you made it work
Gerrit
2nd July 2020, 21:34
Hamilton needs to be mindful that too much message is likely to turn people off. There is a fine line before the message is lost in the hype.
Martin
2nd July 2020, 23:10
Fixed that for you.
Gerrit
3rd July 2020, 0:10
Heh! So every one is a racist? As a marketing exercise in how to win friends and influence people, calling them all racist is sure to do it.
If Hamiltons message is nothing but a show (look at me!, look at me!) then it will be seen as virtue signalling. And yes every one is a racist, so will the Hamilton hype influence the racist to reconsider their position?
Or is taking the knee, the new 1960’s black power salute and actually achieve as little as the salute in the 1968 Olympics?
Maximilian (@maximilian)
3rd July 2020, 12:04
It’s a binary test—if you’re publicly offended by Mercedes’ new livery or Hamilton’s helmet, then you have successfully outed yourself as racist.
Luscious Azure (@lusciousazure)
2nd July 2020, 22:22
The black suits, car and helmet look amazing! Will look amazing on track I’m sure!
Jere (@jerejj)
2nd July 2020, 22:31
Why not ALM instead?
James Bond (@jamesbond)
3rd July 2020, 1:51
I agree. Personally I like the slogan on the Mercedes livery best:
End racism
Maximilian (@maximilian)
3rd July 2020, 12:07
“Why not ALM instead?” he asked aloud to no one in particular, his self-serving smugness evident to all as he paraded around the grocery store with no face covering, showing wanton disregard for anyone but himself.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
4th July 2020, 1:11
Because that term has been taken by those who seek to undermine and discredit BLM. Best thing to do is educate yourself on this matter, as Hamilton has admitted to do himself before supporting it.
cduk_mugello (@cduk_mugello)
2nd July 2020, 22:43
The helmet is probably his best yet. Although the purist in me thinks it’s a shame he has constantly changed his design significantly through his career.
On the BLM stuff I feel like a lot of what I’ve seen in F1 is vacuous. I don’t doubt Hamilton’s intentions and obviously he’s setting up a commission so hopefully will try to achieve something concrete. But I keep seeing generic talk of educating and holding people to account. Which begs the question – specifically in relation to what?
Is this just signalling that racism is wrong (quite rightly) or is this about getting a broader selection of people working in motorsports? If it’s the latter, all the paint in the world won’t help.
The issue runs so much deeper than F1. Non white people are much more likely to have poorer backgrounds. Whilst F1 remains a play thing of the rich, or those with supportive parents willing to make significant sacrifices (like Hamilton), it will continue to be overwhelmingly white and affluent.
Fair credit to Hamilton for applying pressure on this though. It can’t do any harm.
Geo
2nd July 2020, 22:59
As a poor white boy I never had the opportunities of Hamilton and his parents financial help.
Would I get help now or is my skin simply the wrong colour?
Green Flag (@greenflag)
3rd July 2020, 0:26
But you never had white racism holding you back, or white police pulling you over because of your skin color. You never even realized the privilege you were born with.
Geo
3rd July 2020, 1:12
Or other black people responsible for 90% of black deaths?
Grakkis
3rd July 2020, 5:21
Shush. You’re not supposed to talk about that. We must pretend that black people are angels brought low by white devils. Anything else is heresy.
Den21
3rd July 2020, 2:30
Jews, Asians (East and West), Nigerians (these people are black by the way), Middle Easterners somehow excel in this country (US). All with this white racism that you seem to think is all powerful.
Grakkis
3rd July 2020, 8:55
The infantilization will just make things in their community worse which is truly an insidious form of racism. When everything is the fault of others then there can never be any accountability and change. Sad.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
3rd July 2020, 5:37
People using the phrase “privilege you were born with” are mindless enough to apply the American pseudosociological terms to anyone in the world. No surprise here.
SadF1fan
3rd July 2020, 8:18
No, merely the elitism the 99% deals with in any Western society for the past 600 years…
Geo
2nd July 2020, 22:46
Maybe he should do some research into the background of this particular organisation and what it’s end goal is.
Djangles LeVaughn (@royal-spark)
2nd July 2020, 23:36
There are other ways to tackle racism. Violence, looting, arson and disbanding law enforcement are neither of them.
olivier
3rd July 2020, 17:49
Are you suggesting Hamilton or Mercedes have committed any of those crimes?
Dean
2nd July 2020, 23:42
Poseur… Always with the PR.
budchekov (@budchekov)
3rd July 2020, 0:07
A really great helmet, distinctive and classy, it’s a lot less ‘busy’ than his recent ones and that’s a good thing i reckon, wouldn’t be surprised if ten years from now it’s considered a classic. @I’m sure Prince loves it. :)
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
3rd July 2020, 3:28
We. Nice, finally something not about himself. But why no one asked what he mean with ‘we’?
Was it ‘we blacks’ or ‘we drivers’ or ‘we the people’ or ‘we all’ as in all lives matter?
Broccoliface
3rd July 2020, 4:59
I’d have gone with a similar slogan to his cars halo tbh. The BLM is losing support due to going after the Jews and other left-wing mission creep.
Still, this all-black setup is a lot better than the usual mercedes fare.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
3rd July 2020, 5:34
I’m not fans of black suit. But, yes. Black car theme was cool. Rosberg would’ve loved it.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
4th July 2020, 1:13
Good point. The reason he says we is because it was “I” before. Now he is encourage people to keep pushing in spite of, like he has done.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
3rd July 2020, 5:45
Too much tends to be too much. I mean, as a gesture, sure, feel free to do it, but it has become some kind of obligation and now we have antiracist liveries, helmets, race suits, halos, safety cars and who knows what else when the tracks action resumes. In the midst of the global pandemics, F1 looks like a monothematic rainbow circus that literally competes inside itself to show off how woke they are. I wonder if FIA and the teams would be similarly open to such a generous show of support if someone decided to support Hong Kong protesters.
Aapje (@aapje)
3rd July 2020, 7:00
@pironitheprovocateur
These people don’t care about the truly oppressed. Modern slavery, Hong Kong, Uyghurs, etc don’t get them out on the streets. The child labor that makes some of our stuff? Meh.
eljueta (@eljueta)
3rd July 2020, 8:21
The argument of “oh they are so woke with this hip cause, why don’t they show support for the really oppressed” is a fine one. Either show support for all the oppressed people in the world or do nothing. ‘What about X and Y?’. Hamilton is a black racing driver, why shouldn’t he be able to promote a cause which directly affects him?
OllieJ (@olliej)
3rd July 2020, 7:04
Gotta laugh at the fact that he’s sponsored by Police (eyewear)
PaulK (@paulk)
3rd July 2020, 7:22
LMAO. Ironic.
Bobby (@f1bobby)
3rd July 2020, 7:12
If he supports BLM, including its politics, then it’s his prerogative. I think mirroring Mercedes “End Racism” would have been a better fit with the equality message and reference to Dr. King. There’s going to be a lot of back-tracking on BLM as their own controversies start circulating. Car and helmet/overalls look awesome. Reckon that his original yellow lid would have been even better!
AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
3rd July 2020, 8:26
This is going overboard now. The livery change was unnecessary from Mercedes, considering it was Hamilton who initiated it. If anything, black racing suits along with the helmet change would have been enough on Lewis’ behalf to support the political agenda.
Add to that the rainbows being sported on some cars, and we have a high speed equality and LGBTQ parade going around in circles.
F1 should stay away from all this.
bob (@riptide)
3rd July 2020, 10:00
A black car and some rainbows. I can see why you are so upset.
bob (@riptide)
3rd July 2020, 10:23
But putting all the politics aside, that Mercedes looks a beast out on track.
AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
3rd July 2020, 11:15
You are missing the point
Maximilian (@maximilian)
3rd July 2020, 11:49
I think you made it gallingly obvious.
Now close your eyes and seethe with rage that Mercedes acceded Hamilton’s request for a show of solitary for a marginalized minority group by changing the color of their car.
AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
3rd July 2020, 18:02
You need help.
WHITEDOG
3rd July 2020, 9:34
He needs to realise loads of people are getting sick to death of all this support for a terrorist group the BLM, He has had a more privileged upbringing that most and couldnt wait to jump ship and live in Monaco with all the other poor people of the world ?
bob (@riptide)
3rd July 2020, 12:03
I’ve spent an hour and a half watching them go round in circles. I noticed a black beast of a car that looks pretty cool and a few others with a bit of colour added. I listen to croft talking nonsense whilst the other commentators tried to inject some F1 information into his waffling. It looked and sounded like any other Practice 1 that I’ve seen. Didn’t see or hear anything about this parade you are concerned about.
bob (@riptide)
3rd July 2020, 12:05
No idea why it ended up here. This is in response to @asleepatthewheel
AJ (@asleepatthewheel)
3rd July 2020, 18:15
@riptide All i was trying to say was let the countries and their respective governments bring about the change needed to end racism, among other issues. Heck, even drivers can change their helmets if they like to support the cause. There was no need for F1, as a whole entity, to get submerged into this (WeRaceAsOne), or for a field leading team to go for a complete livery overhaul, something it hasn’t done since ages.
bob (@riptide)
3rd July 2020, 12:07
Think this strategy (Keith reporting the F1 news) will work out extremely well whilst you keep clicking on the stories and commenting.
Paul F (@)
3rd July 2020, 13:55
Lots of bigotry in these replies. I guess racists aren’t afraid of outing themselves.
Warren2185 (@warren2185)
3rd July 2020, 14:07
“Black Lives Matter” is a statement targeted for only one race. The message positions the black race in contrast to every other race in the world and is corrosive in the long run. It’s one against all. Not unifying at all and actually promotes more division.
Geo
3rd July 2020, 15:15
As with nu feminism its no longer about equality but dominance, destruction and control.
ColdFly (@)
3rd July 2020, 18:17
Indeed @warren2185, we should fight this division.
And whilst we’re at it let’s stop those weirdos at ‘Save the Children’, ‘Warchild’, ‘UNICEF’, etc., etc.
DonSmee (@david-beau)
4th July 2020, 1:16
Rubbish lol.
That’s what you think, because somehow you are obviously disturbed by black people asking to be treated fairly the system.