F1 chiefs choose to move away from kneeling gesture in 2022 season

Lewis Hamilton will stop taking a knee at the front of the grid after Formula One bosses revealed they are removing the gesture.

Hamilton – and a number of his fellow drivers – have knelt before every race for the past two seasons in a show of solidarity against racism. But F1 is set to pull the allocated slot from its pre-race schedule for the new season which starts in Bahrain next month.

The sport has instead vowed to build on the impact of the gesture – announcing on Tuesday that it will extend its funding commitment to the Formula One engineering scholarship programme for underrepresented groups until 2025 – and will carry on screening an anti-racism message before every race. F1’s “We Race As One” branding will also be visible at each round.

“The [knee] gesture was important for the ones that believed that was an important gesture, because we need to respect everyone,” F1’s chief executive Stefano Domenicali told Sky Sports. “But now is the time to move on and take some other action. The action is the focus on the diversity of our community, and this is the first step.”

Hamilton, the sport’s only black driver, has been outspoken on the importance of taking a knee in the fight for equality. It is understood that the 37-year-old – who all but confirmed he will return to the grid after recently ending his social media silence following last year’s controversial decider in Abu Dhabi – will still be allowed to kneel at another stage before the start of the race, possibly by his car.

Hamilton was a driving force in persuading Mercedes to paint his car black in a powerful anti-racism stance. But it is anticipated that the eight-time constructors’ champions will revert to its traditional silver colours in 2022.

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