We’re living in a reality where people put Max so much on a pedestal because he’s the one stopping the only black man on the grid from breaking Schumi’s record that he can get away with more than Schumi at the time.
“But Schumi was a dirty driver as well and he got away with it.” Only he didn’t in 1997.
“It’s not about racism, people just don’t want to see the same person win”
Lemme break something down to you
Lewis had to learn martial arts from the age of six because he was racially abused and wanted a way to defend himself.
Still a child, (8 I think?) he picked up karting and as soon as he appeared on track, a group of adults was saying from the start that he’s not going to achieve anything, that he should give up and stop showing there. Lewis was still a very young boy when for the first time he heard from his father the words “Be careful what you’re doing, they’re watching your every step” (paraphrasing)
So after winning his karting championship, he felt like he wasn’t allowed to celebrate on track. He sang “We are the champions” in the car with his dad. From the youngest age he knew that expressing any kind of emotion can be turned against him.
2007 was the first year a black man raced in Formula 1. F1 races are being hosted from 1950.
In 2007, Lewis’ first year in Formula 1, he was racially abused at Chinese Grand Prix, by Spanish fans (and that’s sadly the only information I’ve got, I couldn’t find any details)
In 2008, at the Circuit de Catalunya, several fans wore blackface.
In 2008 as well, a page named “burst Hamilton’s tyre” was created, encouraging fans to “leave nails on the track for Hamilton to run over”.
Those were his first two years in Formula 1. Extremely warm welcome, don’t you think? Surprisingly enough, Lewis was the only one receiving awful treatment and insults. I wonder why?
Lewis was always open about the racial abuse he experienced from the youngest age, and spoke up about it way before the ‘We race as one’ campaign and BLM.
In 2020, when he finally gathered the courage to loudly speak up about his rights and the rights of other people and actively support BLM and campaign against racism, he was called a clown who brings unnecessary politics to the sport (let me pass over calling human rights politics). Jackie Steward felt the need to loudly criticize Lewis, saying that there is no racism in Formula 1 and if you’re good enough, you will be accepted. The same Jackie Stewart was called the most racist and hostile driver Willy T Ribbs has ever dealt with. Mario Andretti sided with Stewart as well, saying that Lewis created a problem that doesn’t exist. Obviously, they are both white.
In Formula 1, there are two big allies to LGBTQ+ community that loudly speak up about the topic - Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton. Only one of them is widely criticized for it and accused of doing it for 'woke points’ and - once again - bringing politics into the sport. I will let you guess by yourself.
After Silverstone 2021 crash, Lewis was denied the right to celebrate his victory. He received racial abuse so severe, Instagram and Facebook needed to step in. Additionally, (if I remember the numbers correctly) 20 000 posts on Reddit had to be taken down and 6 000 got banned. Several teams aired pointless statements that they do not condone racism and racial abuse. There shouldn’t be the need to release those statements, as it should be something normal and obvious.
In 2021, Lewis is the only driver being booed on every track, during every session and regardless of his result. At Spa and Zandvoort the booing got so bad he couldn’t hear the questions the interviewer asked him.
He’s always the one being blamed for every incident that happens, no matter what statement the FIA releases.
Recently, Bernie Ecclestone said that Lewis should retire in honour of Michael Schumacher and prevent himself from beating his record “out of respect”.
Now I want you to take a look back and think of any driver who received similar treatment.
I want you to take a look back and think of anyone in F1 being criticized and insulted for every move he makes.
I want you to take a look back and think of any driver who needed fourteen years in the sport to develop enough courage to express how they really feel and what they stand for.
Do you really think people don’t want to see the same person win? Or maybe you just hate seeing a successful black man beating every record in the whitest sport on earth?
when I was 11, my (black) neighbor witnessed my house being broken into. she called the police to report the crime. I came home from school and the robber was still inside. I personally watched as a man I didnt know walked out of my home with our stuff.
the police didnt show up for 3 days.
when they did, they told us there was nothing the could do because we “staged the house”. they claimed we hid our tv’s and valuables to make it look like more was actually stolen. they never asked for a description, never visited the neighbor who saw the break-in, anf as they left, they told us that stolen property is almost never recovered and we should “buy more and get on with [our] lives”.
…
when I was 23, I was dog-sitting for a (white) friend. her neighbor called the police and said there was a strange black man in her yard.
the police showed up in 5 minutes.
6 units, 12 officers, stormed the back yard as I was running around with the dog. some came through the house and I know for a fact that the front door was locked. they damaged around $5000 worth of property, took her dog to the pound, and me to jail.
my friend had to cut her trip short and drive 4 hours back to get me from jail and explain to police in person that she knew me. because “that could be anybody on the phone”. the neighbor was with her when she came. we had met several times before. she was neither embarrassed nor apologetic.
moral of the story?
too many of us have lived this. too many of us didn’t survive.
ficlet mignon
