FORMULA One drivers expressed unity in the fight against racism on Saturday but said taking a knee before Sunday’s season-opening Austrian Grand Prix would be a matter for each to decide.
Some, such as Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Danish driver Kevin Magnussen who race for the US-owned Haas team, confirmed they would be making the gesture while others were more reticent.
The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA) said in an earlier statement all 20 drivers stood “united with their teams against racism and prejudice.”
“We spoke a bit in the drivers’ briefing and yup, interesting, but it’s good that we’re kind of all at least in discussion and I don’t know what we’ll see tomorrow,” commented Mercedes’ six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.
“I think, potentially, people paying their respects in their own ways,” added the sport’s only Black driver who has campaigned actively against racial injustice and for greater diversity in Formula One.
Hamilton did not reveal his own plans.
Sunday’s grid procedures will be different to usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with drivers maintaining their distance from each other.
