Lewis Hamilton a Role Model for Many but Some Feel he is Jumping on the BLM Bandwagon

Lewis Hamilton moves in Royal Circles Credit: Twitter

THERE can be no question that Lewis Hamilton is one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time but over the years, he has enjoyed more than his fair share of controversy, some of it earned and some of it completely unwarranted.

He is of mixed race, with his mother white and his father born in Britain although his parents came to the UK from Grenada in the West Indies and Hamilton identifies himself as black.

Helmets have often had the Grenadian flag on one side and the Union flag on the other and it is said that when living with the leader of the Pussycat Dolls Nicole Scherzinger that they bought a mansion on the island although they never lived in it.

He is certainly outspoken and over the years has had to apologise to the LGBT community for criticising his young male cousin for wearing a ‘princess dress’ and to the people of Stevenage for saying that he had escaped from the ‘slums.’

Now despite the fact that he is probably the richest British sportsperson, he has moved his money around to ensure that he paid the minimum of tax and is now a resident of Monaco (and in fairness, other drivers are as well).

When he came out heavily in favour of the Black Lives Matter movement, he must have remembered 2008 when he appeared at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya where certain ‘fans’ blacked up, wore afro wigs and t-shirts saying Hamilton’s Family!

There was a very acrimonious split from his father who was his manager until 2010 although they have now become friends again and he has recently tweeted that his father is “a strong and successful black man. Because of him, both @nicolashamilton and I have careers, strong-mindedness and determination.”

Over the years he has protested that F1 has racist leanings and the UK press have certainly given him a hard time which could be due to racial stereotyping but there is a suspicion in some minds (rightly or wrongly) that his latest statements whilst not to be argued with are perhaps made with an eye to the publicity he can gain.

Written by

John Smith

Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews

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