Hamilton critical of ‘racial element’ to FIA president’s wording of language complaint

Lewis Hamilton says he’s unhappy at FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem’s choice of words when telling drivers not to swear so much, believing there to be a racial element to his comments.

Ben Sulayem told Autosport he has asked Formula One Management (FOM) to think about what is put out to air, but that the drivers also need to try and have more restraint during races, saying, “We have to differentiate between our sport -- motorsport -- and rap music. We're not rappers …They say the f-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That's them and we are [us].”

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Among the most senior drivers on the grid, Hamilton was understanding of the request, but criticized the connotations of the language Ben Sulayem used himself in the interview.

“I think there’s two segments to that,” Hamilton said. “I’ve only heard of that today. On one side, 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.

"I agree in that sense that you listen to some of the younger drivers, and they’ve not got it yet. And at some stage, they probably will. I’m sure if 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.

“And then just with what he’s saying, I don’t like how he’s expressed it, saying that [about] rappers is very stereotypical. You think about most rappers are black. That really kind of points it towards, when he 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 cleaning up a little bit [would be good]. Also, it’s good to have some emotions. We’re not robots. And for me, the way I control it is because there’s over 2,000 people that are working towards me having this position and being where I am.

“Obviously I’ve got a lot of followers of all ages, but 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 for me to have this privileged position and opportunity. So I think it’s just understanding that, and putting the aggression somewhere else. That’s what I try and do.”

Many other drivers have criticized Ben Sulayem’s request, suggesting radio messages that contain swearing should simply not be broadcast.