A Genius On The Track... Now At 35, Hamilton Has Just Found His Voice Off It

Lewis made waves as he called on fellow drivers to speak out over racism in America

- Neil Squires

Lewis Hamilton has always been ahead of his time at the wheel but the lead he has taken on racism may signal a belated coming of age beyond the racetrack.

Calling out his white work colleagues on the Formula One grid for keeping their counsel over the killing of George Floyd and wider societal problems was controversial.

However repulsive the act, just because a fellow driver fails to post on Instagram condemning it does not make him a white supremacist.

Hamilton’s front-foot stance will have angered some of his rivals. But the fact is that his confrontational words, “I know who you are and I see you”, flushed out a parade of drivers who were subsequently grateful for being pushed to articulate the feelings of revulsion they were experiencing.

Those were feelings shared by 99.99 per cent of the population. Being required to stand up and speak out turned out really not to be so bad.

The voice of a world champion sportsman carries a long way and that power can be an uncomfortable one at times.