Mario Andretti says Lewis Hamilton should be less interested in political affairs. The American Formula 1 legend believes that politics does not belong to sport. The American says he has a lot of respect for the British world champ, but he has a clear opinion of his social commitment. As far as Andretti is concerned, Hamilton must stop.
“I don’t like that political issues find their way into sports,” Andretti says, according to Formel1.de. Take the Olympiad, for example. There, delegates from all over the world are gathering to compete against each other. Everyone is alike out there and everyone has the same goal. “It doesn’t matter if you win, regardless of your background,” says Andretti.
In his view, this is the quintessential image of sport. Therefore, he believes that the Olympic Games are very similar to Formula 1 in this sense, so he hopes the former driver will take motorsport as an example from this and will not be distracted by political issues. According to him, it should not be about the political message of the athletes.
Politics in sports creates a divide
“Allowing politics to turn into a sport that divides people. We see this in the United States, for example. If I say something a bit questionable, the discussion starts right away. I also don’t like it when we start mixing sport with politics. Andretti explains that Formula 1” It should remain a pure sport. “
“Of course we all have our own standards and values. But we shouldn’t put our own agenda on the map with sport. I think politics really has its own channels for that. I’d especially like if these kinds of topics stay out of sport,” Andretti explains.
Since last season, Formula 1 has issued an anti-racism statement with the campaign ‘ We are racing as one, Yet, among other things, the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. A small ceremony of silence was held before the race. At the moment, sport still makes the equality statement, but it is now more general in the equality statement.
