Seven-time world champion in Formula 1 Lewis Hamilton In Brazil this week, for the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, which takes place next Sunday (14), at the Interlagos Autodrome. When he comes to the country, Hamilton rekindles a specific old relationship dating back to his teens.
“I grew up in love with Brazil even before I saw it in person,” the pilot recalls, in an exclusive interview with him GQ Brazil. “The only Brazilian I knew, of course, was Ayrton (Senna); but even though I was in the UK, I always supported Brazil,” he said.
Fighting racism on and off the track, Hamilton remembers what it felt like to watch Brazil matches when he was young. “Actually, I was seeing people who looked like me, and they looked like me. When I first arrived in Brazil, I was very touched, because I was, basically, at home,” he comments.
The driver says the start in setting up the Hamilton Commission, an entity for black representation and inclusion in motorsports, occurred in 2019, when he saw pictures of Formula 1 teams and questioned the lack of diversity, even then. Long after he arrived as the first black in this category.
Lewis Hamilton (Photo: Disclosure)
“It all started with George Floyd, and then Black Lives Matter happened and it was a really powerful moment for a lot of people, especially for me – to learn, to realize how to use my voice and how I wanted to fight,” he says.
Read the full story at GQ Brazil October magazine, on newsstands, on Globo+ and beyond Our virtual store (for residents of greater Sao Paulo).
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