Lewis Hamilton has said becoming the most successful Formula One driver of all time is meaningless unless he can help tackle racism and push for social change.
The Mercedes driver on Sunday won the Turkish Grand Prix and with it a record-equalling seventh F1 drivers' title to move level with Ferrari great Michael Schumacher.
The Englishman, 35, now has more career wins, pole positions and podiums than the retired German, however, and few would bet against him adding to those records.
"Competing and winning championships is a great thing, but what does it really mean? It doesn't mean anything unless you can help push for change," he told The Guardian newspaper in an interview published on Tuesday.
"I cannot keep silent during this time. I decided that I have to use this platform. There are so many people out there who are struggling and so many who have experienced what I have experienced, and worse."
The interview was conducted by Michael Eboda, chief executive of Powerful Media, whose annual Powerlist on Tuesday named Hamilton as Britain's most influential Black person.
He was the only sportsman named in the top 10.
Hamilton has been the driving force in F1 to highlight racial injustice as well as push for diversity in F1 and champion environment issues.
The Briton has set up a commission of experts to help increase the representation of Black people in British motorsports, and routinely takes a knee and promotes Black Lives Matter at races on the grid before each race.
"It is very symbolic to continue to utilise that platform and use that message," he said.
"And it’s important to continue to do it, to keep awareness, because otherwise this thing could die a quiet death and go back to how it was in the past. So I don’t see this changing for some time."
Hamilton said he wanted to really see a different Formula One in 10 years' time. He said he was talking to F1's commercial rights holders Liberty Media for a long-term role "to try to help them progress in the right direction and continue to bring in new audiences.
"I’ll probably do that as a side job. I honestly couldn’t be more excited about it," he said.
"On one side, I don’t want the time to ever go by fast. On the other, I can’t wait till I start this new chapter of my life."
___________________________
Hamilton joins stars who dominated their sport
-
Jack Nicklaus, nicknamed the The Golden Bear, won 117 professional tournaments in his career, including a record 18 Majors. Getty -
Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, multi Olympic gold medalist and world record holder. Getty -
German driver Michael Schumacher also has seven F1 crowns. Getty -
The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan was a basketball icon. Getty -
Heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, known as The Greatest, was the first fighter to win the world heavyweight championship on three separate occasions. Getty -
Diego Maradona, World Cup-winning legend of Argentina and football fans worldwide. Getty -
Pele of Brazil, a record three-time World Cup winner, and scorer of an astonishing 1283 goals in 1363 games. Getty -
Jon Jones, the former two-time UFC light heavyweight champion. Jones first held the title from March 2011 to April 2015, and then from December 2018 to when he vacated the title on August 17, 2020. Zuffa LLC/Zuffa -
Jonah Lomu, became the youngest ever All Black when he played his first international in 1994 at the age of 19 years and 45 days. Playing on the wing Lomu finished his international career with 63 caps and 37 tries, and changed the game forever. Allsport -
Roger Federer's tennis are almost endless, but highlights include winning 20 Grand Slam singles titles, reaching each Grand Slam final at least five times and holding the world No1 1 position for 310 weeks. And he's still playing. Getty -
Baseball player first made his name as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. But what made him really famous was his work for the New York Yankees as a batter. Getty Babe Ruth on the field in his Boston Red Sox uniform in 1919 in New York, New York. (Photo courtesy Library of Congress/Getty Images) -
Khabib Nurmagomedov of Russia, unbeaten UFC star who retired after his 29-0 win in Abu Dhabi, was ranked at No1 on the UFC men's pound-for-pound rankings, and Fight Matrix ranks him as the No 1 lightweight of all time. Getty -
Steffi Graf of Germany became the world’s No 1 tennis player in 1987, a title she held for 377 weeks over her career, winning 22 Grand Slams. Getty -
USA's Ed Moses won gold medals in the 400m hurdles at the 1976 and 1984 Olympics. Between 1977 and 1987, Moses won 107 consecutive finals (122 consecutive races) and set the world record in the event four times. Getty -
American boxer Rocky Marciano held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956and finished his career undefeated, with 43 knockout wins from 49 fights. Getty -
Serena Williams of the United States has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most by any player in the Open Era, and the second-most of all time behind Margaret Court. Getty -
Floyd Mayweather Jr has competed at five different weights, and is a multi-world champion with a 50-0 record. Getty -
British rower Steve Redgrave won a gold medal in five consecutive Olympic Games, the only person to have done so in an endurance sport. Allsport -
Belgian Eddy Merckx belongs to an elite club of riders who have won the Tour de France five times, and he holds the record for the most Tour stage wins at 34. He also won the Giro d'Italia five times. AFP -
Lionel Messi of Barcelona and Argentina, arguably the greatest footballer of all time. Getty -
American tennis star Pete Sampras was not the most exciting to watch, but his domination was complete, winning 14 Grand Slam titles before his retirement in 2002 - a record at the time. Allsport -
Quarterback Tom Brady has played in an incredible nine Super Bowls in his career and won six of them. At 43, he is the oldest active player in the NFL, now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after nearly 20 years with New England Patriots, Getty -
British driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates his seventh F1 world title. AFP
