Hamilton criticizes FIA president's remarks, cites "racial element"
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
Singapore – Lewis Hamilton has expressed concerns over comments made by FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, who compared Formula 1 drivers using profanities on team radio to "rappers." Hamilton described the remarks as having a "racial element.".
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Ben Sulayem announced that the FIA plans to curb the use of profanity in team radio communications, aiming to remove offensive language from F1 broadcasts.
"We have to differentiate between our sport – motorsport – and rap music," Ben Sulayem told Motorsport.com. "We're not rappers, you know. They say the F-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That's them, and we are [us]."
Hamilton, when asked about the comments, indicated he understood the intent to reduce swearing to protect younger audiences but took issue with the comparison to rappers.
"With what he's saying, I don't like how he's expressed it, saying that rappers is very stereotypical," Hamilton commented. "You think about most rappers are Black. That really kind of points it towards, when it says we're not like them."
"So I think those are the wrong choice of words; there's a racial element there. But as I said, I agree with the fact that I think [it needs] cleaning up a little bit."
Further comment has been sought from the FIA.
Earlier this year, in March, Hamilton declared that Ben Sulayem had "never had his support" amid various controversies. These comments followed an FIA compliance department investigation that cleared Ben Sulayem of any wrongdoing, and the news that F1 Academy boss Susie Wolff was pursuing legal action against the FIA over a short-lived conflict-of-interest investigation involving her husband, Toto Wolff.
The FIA's initiative to limit swearing over team radio emerged as a key talking point during driver media sessions ahead of this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix.
Discussing the clampdown, Hamilton noted that younger drivers are less likely to self-censor but mentioned his efforts to avoid using profanities.
"When I was 22, I didn’t think of it as much, and it was more your emotions are just firing, and you’re saying whatever comes to mind, forgetting how many people are listening and the kids that are listening, all those kinds of things," Hamilton stated.
"I agree in that sense that you listen to some of the younger drivers, and they just, they’ve not got it yet. And at some stage, they probably will. I’m sure if you put, like there’s penalties for it, people will stop it. I don’t know whether that’s something that’s needed. I definitely think there is a little bit too much of it."
Reflecting on his approach to managing emotions, Hamilton added, "It's good to have some emotions. We're not robots. And for me, the way I control it is because there’s like over 2,000 people that are working towards me having this position and being where I am."
"I’ve got a lot of followers of all ages. It’s not about me. And even though I’m having this experience on-track, what I do and what I say affects all those people who are sacrificing time with their families, who are giving absolutely everything to have this privileged position and opportunity. I think it’s just understanding that and putting the aggression somewhere else. That’s what I try and do.”
The dialogue surrounding language use in Formula 1 continues as the sport grapples with balancing authenticity and professionalism, especially in the eyes of a diverse and global audience.
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