“Political activism is dangerous in Formula 1”- Ralph Schumacher on Lewis Hamilton’s opinions

“Political activism is dangerous in Formula 1”- Ralph Schumacher on Lewis Hamilton’s woke opinions towards the sport surrounding political issues.

Lewis Hamilton has constantly been speaking against several social issues, especially against racial discrimination, which has garnered him both praises and critiques.

However, former F1 driver Ralph Schumacher sees it dangerous. He also claimed that personally, he has no problem with Hamilton voicing opinions but it is problematic when he does it in the Mercedes suit.

“His values are very important and he can represent them on Instagram and the other social networks,” Schumacher told Sport1, as per the Grand Prix. “The only question is why he always has to do it in a Mercedes suit and on the racetrack,” he added.

“It can be too polarising. If the drivers rush into things like that too much it is dangerous – the sport doesn’t deserve that,” said Schumacher. Meanwhile, Hamilton has also aroused attention for not speaking against F1 joining hands with Saudi Arabia for a Grand Prix in 2021.

But Schumacher believes that it is not necessary for Hamilton to voice against it, “I am firmly convinced that sport and politics must not be combined,” he said. “And if it is, it is definitely not the job of the driver.”

Lewis Hamilton has the motivation to achieve 8 titles

Despite the uncertainty around Hamilton’s contract extension, Schumacher believes that he still has the motivation to achieve 8 titles and that will serve his purpose to stay another year.

But at the same time, Hamilton is observing changes at Mercedes and would deboard the ship when he sees the core behind the success of the team leaves in the near future.

“It is a core force of five or six people who form the team,” he explained. “If there are a few more (departures), then it’s no longer the team it used to be.”

Schumacher also told Sky Deutschland: “I believe he (Hamilton) is only looking for a one-year contract to be able to sound out the situation and assess what is happening after 2021.

“I don’t see any other option for him, so the all-important question is: how much motivation does he still have? What is clear is that he will take the eighth title next year. The young guys are not that annoying yet,” he said.

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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