Lewis Hamilton has put more pressure on the Saudi Arabian regime following the mass execution of 81 people on 12 March.
F1 has returned to Saudi Arabia amid the continued concerns over the human rights violations in the regime. Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton said that he was not comfortable being present but it is still important to raise awareness.
The seven-time world champion called the LGBTQ+ rights in the country terrifying. Last year, Hamilton raised awareness for LGBTQ+ rights in the Middle Eastern countries by wearing a rainbow helmet.
However, since the beginning of the year reports says that around 100 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia. 81 of which happened on 12 March alone. The overall total is set to rise to 500 by the end of the year.
When asked if there are any reservations about racing in Saudi Arabia, the Briton said, “My position is still the same as I spoke on last year. There is not really a lot that I can say that is going to make any difference.”
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It is the responsibility of those who are in power
Furthermore, he also talked about the letter that was written to him ahead of the race weekend. Hamilton said, “It is obviously mindblowing to hear the stories.”
“I have heard there is a letter that has been sent to me, for example, from a 14-year-old that is on death row. At 14, you don’t know what the hell you are doing in life.”
“We don’t decide where we go to race in F1. We are duty-bound to try and do what we can while we are here. It is not necessarily our responsibility but we try and do what we can.” He further said that it is vital to educate ourselves and ensure that we are doing something.
“But ultimately, it is the responsibility of those that are in power to really make the changes and we are not really seeing enough. We need to see more,” he further added.
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Lewis Hamilton is open to discussions with Saudi authorities
Both Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have established themselves as the ones raising awareness in the F1 over societal issues.
Hamilton is willing to arrange a meeting with those in power in Saudi Arabia. He insisted: “Again, reflecting that it shouldn’t be our responsibility to have to do that.”
“But it is obviously a very, very complex situation. I am always open to having a discussion. To learn more and try to understand exactly why the things that are happening are happening and why they are not changing.
“It is 2022, it is easy to make changes. But I am open to doing that. I don’t know who I would have to speak to exactly but I would love to see that. I know that Boris [Johnson, UK prime minister] was over here recently. Human rights were raised but what was said, what is being done, I have not heard about that.”
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