[imagesource: LAT Images]

Yesterday, the Formula One season resumed with the Austrian Grand Prix.

It was an incident-packed race, with Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas taking first place, ahead of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

Britain’s Lewis Hamilton could only take fourth spot, and you can read more about the on-track action here.

What happened before the race has attracted attention, however, with six of his fellow drivers, including Leclerc and Max Verstappen, declining to join Hamilton in taking a knee ahead of the start of the race.

The Telegraph reports:

All 20 drivers wore ‘End Racism’ t-shirts, however, apart from Hamilton (Mercedes) who wore a Black Lives Matter top…

The topic of taking a knee, which is associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, was discussed during a virtual drivers meeting on Friday night, but they failed to reach a unanimous conclusion.

Hamilton had been vocal regarding some of his fellow drivers who hadn’t posted any anti-racism messages to social media over the past month, and he was joined in taking a knee by 13 of the other 19 drivers.

During the playing of the Austrian national anthem, Leclerc, Verstappen, Kimi Raikkonen (Alfa Romeo), Daniil Kvyat (Alpha Tauri), Carlos Sainz (McLaren) and Antonio Giovinazzi (Alfa Romeo) all remained standing:

It is believed that those who remained standing are “uneasy” about the Black Lives Matter movement’s politics:

Leclerc and Verstappen were among those who explained why they would not kneel.

“I will not take the knee but this does not mean at all that I am less committed than others in the fight against racism,” Leclerc said. “I believe that what matters are facts and behaviours in our daily life rather than formal gestures that could be seen as controversial in some countries.

“All 20 drivers stand united with their teams against racism and prejudice, at the same time embracing the principles of diversity, equality and inclusion, supporting Formula 1’s and FIA’s commitment.”

Verstappen, meanwhile, wrote on Twitter: “I am very committed to equality and the fight against racism. But I believe everyone has the right to express themself (sic) at a time and in a way that suits them.”I will not take the knee today but respect and support the personal choices every driver makes.”

Given the recent comments of former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, the sport could have done with a unifying moment, but those drivers who chose not to kneel have the right to do so.

Still, if you look at the English Premier League, for example, every single player on the field, and the substitutes on the sidelines, have chosen to kneel before the kick-off of each match in a unified message that #blacklivesmatter.

Perhaps the fact that every Premier League squad features many players of colour, and Hamilton is the only black driver, has something to do with that.

Here’s the message Hamilton sent out on social media after the race:

pic.twitter.com/lJwfRxOc4J

— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) July 5, 2020

[source:telegraph]