"They're not rappers"

Hamilton lashes out at FIA boss: “Racism!”

Lewis Hamilton and FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem

(Bild: AFP; APA/AFP/DOUGLAS MAGNO; APA/POOL/Giuseppe CACACE )

Bizarre development in Formula 1: While the big changing of the guard in the premier class of motorsport is currently underway, Red Bull Racing as a team seems to have been overtaken by McLaren at least and Max Verstappen's title defense seems more than uncertain, a powerful discussion about the swearing of the protagonists and racism suddenly pops up! In the middle of it, instead of just being there: Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and FIA boss Mohammed Ben Sulayem ...

The latter had recently expressed his unhappiness in an interview with the trade magazine "Autosport" about the fact that too many swear words and too much swearing could be heard in the TV broadcasts of Formula 1 races, especially from the cockpits. "We are not rappers. They say the F-word how many times a minute? We don't want to be there," explained the FIA boss.

"And now with the technology, everything is broadcast live and everything is recorded. At the end of the day, we need to look at that to see if we can reduce what is being said publicly," Ben Sulayem continued. "Imagine sitting in front of the TV with your kids watching the race and then someone says all these dirty words."

When asked about the topic, record-breaking world champion Lewis Hamilton reacted somewhat miffed in the run-up to the Singapore Grand Prix - at least the tone and wording of Ben Sulayem's criticism did not please the 39-year-old. "I don't like the way he put it. He uses the word rapper as a stereotype. Most rappers are black. Subliminally, he's saying that we're not like them. The choice of words is wrong. It contains a racist element."

Will there be a follow-up to the discussion in the coming days? The chances are good ...