Winner Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton reacts on the podium after the Tuscany Formula One Grand Prix at the Mugello circuit in Scarperia e San Piero on September 13, 2020. (Photo by JENNIFER LORENZINI / various sources / AFP)
Formula One’s ruling body is reported to be considering action against world champion Lewis Hamilton after he wore a t-shirt highlighting police brutality at Sunday’s Tuscan Grand Prix.
The six-time world champion and series leader, who won the race, wore a t-shirt bearing a message that said “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor” before and after the race, during an anti-racism ceremony and television interviews.
A spokesperson for the International Motoring Federation (FIA) told the BBC that the case against Hamilton is “under active consideration.”
Hamilton had previously worn a “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt at every race without any comment from the FIA.
Taylor, a 26-year-old black woman, was shot by police in Kentucky in March. She was a medical worker and was killed in her own home.
The FIA rules state that drivers are not to use advertising that is “political or religious in nature of that is prejudicial to the interests of the FIA”.
Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka, the US Open champion, also brought Taylor’s death to public attention when she wore a face mask with her name on it at the New York tournament.
“It took me a long time to get that shirt and I’ve been wanting to wear it and bring awareness to the fact that there’s people that have been killed on the street and there’s someone that got killed in her own house, and they’re in the wrong house, and those guys are still walking free,” said Hamilton after his 90th career victory on Sunday.
“We can’t rest. We have to continue to raise awareness with it. And Naomi’s been doing amazing, so huge congratulations to her. She is an incredible inspiration with what she has done with her platform.”