Lewis Hamilton escapes punishment for his t-shirt which demanded arrest of police officers who killed Breonna Taylor… but FIA move to ‘clarify’ rules over driver protests in time for next race
- British driver Lewis Hamilton will not be the subject of an investigation by the FIA
- He wore a t-shirt in honour of Breonna Taylor at Tuscan Grand Prix last weekend
- Hamilton sported jersey which read: ‘Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor’
- The FIA looked into whether t-shirt breached it statutes but will not investigate
Lewis Hamilton will not be the subject of an investigation by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) for wearing a t-shirt in honour of Breonna Taylor at the Tuscan Grand Prix last weekend.
The Mercedes driver sported a jersey which read: ‘Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor’ referring to an African-American woman who was fatally shot by police officers in Louisville, Kentucky, earlier this year.
The governing body looked into whether the t-shirt breached its rules and concluded it did not, but the FIA appears to be moving to ensure there are no repeats by changing its guidelines. ‘The situation is under active consideration for a clarification that will be in place for the next race,’ a spokesman for the FIA told CNN.
Lewis Hamilton stood on the Mugello podium wearing a shirt calling for the arrest of police officers following the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor
Hamilton had earlier worn the shirt in the build up to the Tuscan Grand Prix in Italy on Sunday
The world champion wore the t-shirt during the ‘taking a knee’ ceremony and on the podium following his 90th career win on Sunday.
The back of the top read: ‘Say her name’ as Hamilton paid tribute to the 26-year-old medical technician who was killed after her boyfriend opened fire on police during a drugs search at their house in March.
Hamilton also raised awareness of Breonna Taylor in his interview following the race, he said: ‘It was like three races in one day,’ he said after the race. ‘Just incredibly tough. We had a difficult start.
‘The heat and keeping Valtteri (Bottas) behind, who has been quick all weekend, was not easy. I was behind at the beginning. Total focus was needed for the restarts. It was really, really hard.
‘Keeping that over one-second gap was crucial as I didn’t want them [race rivals] to have DRS on that 1000m straight. Justice for Breonna Taylor.’
The FIA and the sport’s owners Liberty Media have previously tried hard to work with the Brit on his anti-racism fight.
The world champion will not be the subject of an investigation by the FIA for wearing the t-shirt
It has become customary this season for Formula One drivers to gather in opposition to racism before the start of races.
Hamilton has been a vocal supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement ever since it rose to global prominence following the death of George Floyd in May.
Hamilton, who continues to lead the way for change in the sport, has used his platforms to condemn racial injustice with incidents such as the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, and more recently the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin.