“He is obviously polarising but that is OK”- Toto Wolff backs Lewis Hamilton’s alleged extreme activism

“He is obviously polarising but that is OK”- Toto Wolff backs Lewis Hamilton’s alleged extreme political activism, which apparently pinches a few.

Lewis Hamilton has been actively voicing against the lack of representation in Formula 1 and racial sentiments flaring within his region and ecosystem.

Recently, in an interview with the BBC, he asserted that one has to be anti-racist and not non-racist in today’s world. But this has also cropped up reactionary opposition to Hamilton’s words and many subtly suggested him to be not so bold and stick to sports.

To counter this, Mercedes’ team principal has come in support for his star driver and said that the activism chosen by Hamilton is alright, despite it being “polarising”.

Formula One champ @LewisHamilton took a pit stop at The Project to talk about his need for speed and why he’s become a driving force in the battle to show racism the chequered flag. #TheProjectTV pic.twitter.com/DedjOy0Fh4

— The Project (@theprojecttv) November 19, 2020

“What I always say is that not only as a racing driver he has developed but also as a strong personality,” Wolff said. “There are topics that are very close to his heart, and because of his large audiences, he has realised he has a voice and he wanted to utilise his voice to support the topics that are close to his heart.

“I think that is absolutely acceptable, and he has gained more profile through that. He is obviously polarising, but that is OK because you would want to rather polarise and get the message out, rather than be down the middle and too streamlined.”

His success allows him to voice his concerns

While supporting Hamilton for his cause, he has also marked that Briton driver is able to speak because of his incredible on-track success over the last 12 years.

“He is always very aware that through success in Formula 1 and as a racing driver with outstanding records, he will grow his audiences and his credibility,” Wolff said.

“That is clear. That is why these two things nurture each other. Obviously, his main base is racing and driving and that is the main platform, so all the others become more credible.”

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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