Lewis Hamilton visited by Michelle Obama, speaks on Roe v. Wade

MIAMI GARDENS FL.

Shortly after his arrival in the United States, Lewis Hamilton got involved in the Roe V. Wade debate. He protested the ban on jewelry being worn while racing, sporting eight rings, multiple necklaces and three watches in Miami.

Hamilton welcomed Michelle Obama, the former first lady, to his pit during practice and qualifying as he prepared for Formula One’s debut at South Florida.

Hamilton continues to be a change agent 16 year later than when he became F1’s first Black winner. At 37 years of age, the British racer is still the most successful driver in series history. He is also tied with Michael Schumacher for seventh place with seven titles. Hamilton remains the only Black driver competing at the elite level motorsports.

He has used his platform for social justice and race, protection of the LBGTQ and human rights issues. 

Hamilton was in New York this week and took to Instagram to discuss the possibility of a Supreme Court ruling to reverse the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, ending the nationwide right for legal abortion.

Hamilton shared his thoughts on Instagram with his nearly 28 million followers, “I love being here in the States. But I can’t overlook what’s happening right now and the things that some in government are trying do to the women who reside here.”

“Everybody should be able to choose what happens to their bodies.” We cannot allow that freedom to be taken away.

The following post contains names of resources and organizations that support abortion rights.

Two days later, he was seen arriving at Hard Rock Stadium in his entire collection of jewelry. Hamilton was protesting a decision made by the FIA (governing body of F1) to ban drivers from wearing jewelry while racing. Hamilton claimed that he has worn his piercings since F1 began 16 seasons ago and that it was a potential safety hazard.

Hamilton, however, was the only face of diversity as F1 invaded Miami Gardens. This suburban neighborhood is almost 70% Black or African American according to the U.S Census Bureau. This is not enough. saidToto Wolff, Mercedes head, is his boss.

Wolff said, “F1 requires role models. It doesn’t just need the top driver. But we need… to make that room more diverse, there has to be a greater variety of people talking Formula One.” said. “We need to just take one step at the time. We’d love to have many fans and audiences. And we’re ready to do whatever it takes.

Zak Brown (Californian native) is now the McLaren Racing CEO. saidExposing F1 to new audiences is crucial. He mentioned the rise of F1’s North American fanbase through Netflix’s docuseries Drive to Survive to “a younger, more diverse fan base.”

Brown said, “If they look at the fanbase that they brought, they brought a lot more female fans, and a lot more youth.” said. “Coming to new markets, such as Miami, and then searching for not only great race broadcasts, but side and shoulder programming. It’s all about incremental improvements in all these areas.

“We need to keep exposing our sport to new people and let the sport do its magic, just like it did for us for many years.”