Hamilton: FIA president's criticism of swearing had 'racial element'
SINGAPORE (AP) — Lewis Hamilton said Thursday there was a "racial element" to 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.
Responding to those remarks ahead of Sunday’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."
HEADLINES
- Alpine will pull plug on Renault as engine provider
- Andretti: 'Timing was right' for restructuring of my global operation
- RB drops Ricciardo after 2 seasons for Lawson
- ‘He deserves a place in F1’ – James Vowles on his efforts to seal Sauber seat for Franco Colapinto | Formula 1®
- ‘It’s been a battle of the mind’ – Hamilton reveals main lesson he learned during winless run of almost 1,000 days | Formula 1®