29/09/2017
NEWS STORY
In the wake of a couple of posts to his Instagram account at the weekend, the British media has been getting excited at the prospect of Lewis Hamilton 'taking a knee' on the podium at one of the forthcoming races.
What started last year as a "protest against social and racial injustice" by NFL player Colin Kaepernick, has taken on a life of its own in recent weeks as the practice of getting down on one knee during the (American) national anthem, as opposed to standing, has spread.
Indeed, as celebrities now pledge to 'take the knee' what began as a protest is now in danger of becoming the 'Ice Bucket Challenge' of 2017.
A gesture that was merely polarising NFL fans in the United States took on greater significance however when President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticise the practice, thereby giving the green light to all and sundry joining the great debate.
In the wake of Hamilton's social media posts at the weekend, the media in Malaysia, sensing that the Briton might join 'the movement' asked the Mercedes driver if he might 'take the knee', aware that the United States Grand Prix is just a few weeks away.
"It is open for anyone to have freedom of speech and I guess we can all play a role in trying to make a difference in the world," he told reporters, "particularly if your leader is not helping in that area.
"It requires people to stand together," he added defiantly. "I can identify with a lot of those individuals."
Ignoring the fact that social and racial injustice is hardly rampant in Monaco, one has to ask why the Mercedes driver has only now discovered a political voice.
Why no protests in the various countries that F1 visits with questionable records on Human Rights.
Though he missed out on a podium place in Russia, would he really have taken Vladimir Putin to one side and questioned him on some of his country's practices.
Indeed, should Lewis encounter Jean Todt over the Malaysia weekend will he question the FIA president on the grants given in recent years to the likes of Syria, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Rwanda and Iran.
Bernie Ecclestone famously said that "F1 doesn't do politics", and one can understand why.
A sport watched by millions around the world every couple of weeks - a sport already in the sights of the green lobby - doesn't want to offend. Consequently every ****, ****, ******** and **** uttered by the likes of Grosjean, Magnussen, Vettel and Raikkonen is carefully edited out.
In a week in which the legendary Mel Brooks claimed that Political Correctness is killing comedy, F1 doesn't want to do or say anything that might stop fans buying sponsors products or manufacturers road cars.
"I hate politics," admitted Hamilton yesterday. "I don't have the greatest understanding of it and I absolutely hate politics."
If the media does - as one suspects it will - attempt to push the Briton towards making a stand and 'taking the knee' he would do well to ignore it.
While it is unclear how Mercedes would react, it is almost certain that the FIA would accuse the Briton of bringing the sport into disrepute.
And what of Liberty Media?
Well, at a time NFL fans are ripping up their season tickets, burning their team gear and cancelling TV subscriptions, the sport's new owner would not be impressed by any action that it perceives as potentially damaging to its customer base and thereby profits, especially at a time Liberty is looking to expand the sport in its homeland.
Oh, and more thing Lewis might want to know. Liberty owner, John Malone, Liberty Media Corp. CEO Greg Maffei, Liberty Media and Liberty Interactive, were all major donors to Donald Trump's election campaign.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the 'knee movement', be it genuine protest or virtue signalling, if Hamilton wants to make a statement there are other ways of doing it. For at a time the Briton needs to be focussed fully on the battle with Sebastian Vettel for the title, the last thing the Mercedes driver needs is the s**t-storm that would surely follow any such gesture.
Take the advice Lewis, not the knee.