Lewis Hamilton could face action over his decision to wear an anti-racism T-shirt on the Tuscan Grand Prix podium, following his victory at the weekend.
The Mercedes Formula 1 driver donned a black T-shirt with white lettering which said “arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor”, with her face on the back, with “Say her name” underneath.
It’s in reference to the killing of 26-year-old American Taylor, an emergency medical technician, who was shot eight times when police entered her apartment in Louisville in March this year.
It’s believed the police had entered the wrong property on a drug search warrant.
The FIA has confirmed they are looking at Hamilton’s decision to wear the T-shirt, with a spokesperson saying the matter it is “under active consideration”.
It’s believed the FIA may be looking at whether the decision was a political act, though it’s not known whether this infringes upon the regulations.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton said he wanted to bring attention to the story.
“I’ve been wanting to bring awareness to the fact there are people being killed on the street.
“And someone was killed in her own house and they were in the wrong house and those guys are still walking free.”
The Briton has been a vocal campaigner against police violence in the US, with Formula 1 working with the six-time World Champion to broadcast his message, which includes an optional pre-race kneel with all 20 drivers wearing ‘End Racism’ T-shirts.
Mercedes F1’s official Twitter account has been responding to comments criticising Hamilton, with a common theme saying “keep politics out of F1”. Mercedes’ response was: “We’re not bringing politics into F1; these are human rights issues that we’re trying to highlight and raise awareness of.”
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