Lewis Hamilton has singled out Ferrari by claiming they are not doing enough to combat racism.
Following his poor performance at Spielberg’s Red Bull Ring in the season opener, Hamilton was in mesmerising form on Sunday to win the Styrian Grand Prix.
He laid the groundwork for the triumph with quite possibly his greatest performance over one lap in Saturday’s rain-hit qualifying session.
Hamilton finished 1.2 seconds faster than anyone else at a track with just 10 corners. On Sunday, he roared away from his starting marks and never looked back – taking the chequered flag 13.7secs clear of team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Celebrating his victory, Hamilton performed the Black Power salute twice – on top of his Mercedes and also on the podium.
Hamilton, who took the knee before Sunday’s race, then suggested that Ferrari – the sport’s grandest team – must do more in the fight for equality.
“Formula One has come forward and said they are supporting ending racism, and it is amazing to see Mercedes are also doing that, but no other team has done a single thing,” said Hamilton.
“Red Bull mechanics have taken a knee, but if you look at Ferrari they have thousands of people working for them, but I have heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable, and what they are going to do in the future.
“We have to continue to push for equality and raise awareness. For me personally, it is going to be a lifelong thing.
“We spoke about taking a knee in the drivers’ briefing and what we intended to do. Some were asking how long we have to continue to do this. Some felt like doing it once last week was enough.
“I just had to encourage them and say that racism is going to be around for longer than our time here. People of colour who are subjected to racism don’t have time to take a moment to protest once and then for that to be it.”
Hamilton dominated from pole to move to within six points of Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas in the championship.
The Formula One circus now heads to Budapest for the third round of a truncated season. It is a venue where Hamilton has won a remarkable seven times.
“I am over the moon to have a performance like this today,” he added. “This feels like a long time coming since my last win at the final race of last year.
“It is a great come back from a difficult first weekend. It is easy to lose focus and determination, but I don’t ever see that with this team.
“We know there’s a long way to go and it’s a challenge for everyone, but this performance is a step forward, for sure.”
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