Words by Jeffrey Arthur
In light of his Bahrain GP victory and continued fight against social injustice, it’s time to recognise Lewis Hamilton for what he is: one of Britain’s greatest stars.
Lewis Hamilton will soon become the most successful Formula One driver of all time. He’s also one of the world’s most distinguished sports personalities. Few in history have dominated their respective fields like he has, leading to widespread admiration for the Englishman from fans and pundits alike. What’s more, he’s the only Black racing driver in Formula One – not just during this year or the last, but in history (Willy T. Ribbs did not competitively race in the sport). That makes his success all the more impressive.
Ever since he was a young boy, his father – who Hamilton credits for his success – had to listen to complaints from other parents who thought his son had little chance of succeeding. At the time – as it is now – the sport, even for younger children, lacked diversity. But those parents would have little impact on Hamilton’s mindset – his dad made sure of that. The boy from Stevenage won races with ease, proving that the need for speed was very much part of his DNA.
His dogged determination is evident, his resilience admirable. You don’t win 96 races and seven titles by slouching around, that’s for sure. And given the double standards he’s had to face throughout his career, you’d think his achievements – and his contribution to British sport – would be recognised without question.
But whilst most received news of his 2020 nomination for a knighthood with glee and a sense of “what took you so long” frustration, others offered every conceivable excuse as to why he shouldn’t get one. For some, given his achievements, recent and ongoing attempts to strip Hamilton of the respect he deserves might come as a surprise – but Mercedes’ leading man and other minority athletes in other sports will know this script all too well.
“I took my father’s advice to work twice as hard, keep my head down, my mouth shut and let my driving do the talking.”
As a young racer, other children would resort to throwing things at Lewis in a bid to slow him down; and at one of his first Formula One races, a group turned up in blackface to taunt him with T-shirts that read “Hamilton’s family.” For the rest of the race, they would chant “black s**t.” The response from the authorities was as bland and cautious as it was offensive. Hamilton was left, once again, standing alone.
Whilst his opponents have been free to think of ways to shave seconds from their lap times, Hamilton – throughout his career– has been burdened to fight plain and obvious discrimination in addition to striving to be the best driver Formula One has ever seen.
And after all that, he came out on top – proving his unrivalled talent and skill. There has never been a better racing driver in the history of Formula One; that makes the case for a knighthood so plain and obvious. But yet again, he finds himself disadvantaged by double standards and, at times, childish hypocrisy.
This time, it might not be a family of black-faced fans in the stands, but the excuses offered, and the reasons given, bare the same hallmarks of an industry fraught with double standards.
First, it was his age, they said. “He’s just too young, you know – and we can’t be making young folks sirs.” Andy Murray received his knighthood at 29, six years younger than Hamilton’s current age. The leading headline? “Magical Murray.” Then, it was his tax residency not being based in the UK. That automatically disqualifies him, they said. Sir Jackie Stewart, knighted in 2001 for his contributions to Formula One, has resided in Switzerland for over five decades.
Frankly, other sports stars whose achievements pale in comparison to Hamilton’s have received much greater fanfare for doing far less. It’s one thing for a prophet to be denied in his own land, another for him to be targeted despite overwhelming and obvious success.
On racial issues, Hamilton has rarely remained silent. Instead, he’s used his platform – especially at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests following the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor at the hands of US police – to highlight injustices. Having spent much of his career battling discrimination, the protests struck a chord for Hamilton: “Watching George Floyd brought up so much suppressed emotion,” he said.
From insisting on taking the knee to donning BLM T-shirts before each race, Hamilton has used his profile to bring much-needed attention to the issue of racial injustice. Did he care that some, within and outside his sport, took issue with his antics? No, not really: “injustice prevails when you remain neutral,” he said.
“It was only when wearing my helmet that I felt free to be myself.”
With his remarkable achievements and contribution to the sport, Hamilton undoubtedly deserves a knighthood. He accepted the knighthood at the end of 2020.
What is much more important, though, is whether the next Lewis Hamilton – who’s probably busy arranging toy car models for a living room race – will be free to flourish in the sport they love, or, just like their idol, be burdened to navigate double standards they had no part in creating.
Lewis Hamilton isn’t the only sportsman tackling social injustice; Marcus Rashford has also proven himself the best kind of baller.