© Steve Etherington for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd.
Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff expressed his support for Lewis Hamilton and his public stance against racial injustice.
Hamilton recently blasted motorsport personalities for not using their voice to publicly support the “Black Lives Matter” movement, following the horrific murder of George Floyd at the hands of a US police officer. During a recent media conference, Wolff was asked about his opinion on the subject.
“We know that Lewis is always a strong supporter of any minorities and, to be honest, I have learned a lot from him as well,” the Austrian said.
“He asked the question once ‘Have you ever had the active thought that you are white?’ And I said ‘No, actually I’ve never thought about it’. He said ‘Well, I have to think about it [being black] every day because I have been made aware that I am’.
“It’s therefore very difficult for us to comprehend how difficult it is, and therefore I am happy and supportive that he has come out vocal.
“I was lucky enough that I was raised in a household with different nationalities, that I lived with a Jewish family for a long time when my family faced tough times, and I saw what discrimination looked like as a child.
“I think all of us have the power to make a change, and sometimes it needs events like the one that happened a few days ago in the US to trigger a massive wave of support for any minority.
“I think it’s good that Lewis as a sports superstar is the one upfront with it in a sport that is very much dominated by white males.
“We, as a team, encourage diversity and we choose people purely on performance, not on any culture, religion or skin colour. I think all of us can make a difference.
“Every single one of us must be part of a movement to stop these kinds of things from happening,” concluded Wolff.
