Lewis Hamilton praises F1’s handling of anti-racism protest before British Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton stressed the importance of following through with Formula One’s ‘End Racism’ message after drivers showed a more united front at the British Grand Prix.

Although there was no universal taking of the knee for a fourth round this season – the world champion was joined by 12 others, while seven elected to stand – all drivers contributed to an anti-racism video that was aired ahead of the race.

As with previous rounds, Hamilton wore a ‘Black Lives Matter‘ T-shirt, while the other drivers wore tops sporting the ‘End Racism’ message.

Lewis Hamilton stressed the importance of supporting Formula One’s ‘End Racism’ message

Kevin Magnussen elected to stand (from left) along with Antonio Giovinazzi, Carlos Sainz, Charles, Leclerc, Daniil Kvyat, Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen in the stance against racism before the British Grand Prix

Hamilton went on to win in dramatic circumstances, limping over the line following a puncture, and reflected positively on the progress made with regard to the pre-race gathering at the front of the grid.

“In terms of the start, I’ve been really, really happy with what F1 organisers have done,” said Hamilton.

“Last week I had really great Zoom conversations with Chase (Carey) and Ross (Brawn) about what we could do better and how we could solidify our approach and show more unity together.

“I don’t know how it looked on TV but it felt a lot more organised and it didn’t take a lot for us to have that extra 10 minutes.

Magnussen (partially hidden, second right) has taken a knee at previous races including the season opener at the Austrian Grand Prix

Scenes proved chaotic in the previous race in Hungary with drivers arriving late or not all

“What is really important is to keep that up because we have this incredible platform with so many people watching.

“Every single one of us needs to be reminded every now and then of how serious things can be, so that people are aware.

“And what is more important is that F1 follows through and how they said they are going to try to attack these things within our industry.

“That is an ongoing discussion, but I feel really confident to see everyone’s view and moving towards it.”