Lewis Hamilton will wear a rainbow flag on his helmet during the Miami Grand Prix to protest [View all]
FILED UNDER: AUTO RACING
Lewis Hamilton will wear a rainbow flag on his helmet during the Miami Grand Prix to protest Floridas anti-LGBTQ laws
The seven-time F1 champ says the laws are not good at all.
By Karleigh Webb May 5, 2023, 8:30am PDT
Seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton blasted Floridas recent slate of anti-LGBTQ laws Thursday ahead of the
Miami Grand Prix Sunday.
The lead driver for Mercedes compared legislation signed by Floridas Republican governor
Ron DeSantis, including the
Dont Say Gay bill, to conditions that Hamilton has protested when F1 races in the Middle East.
Its not good at all,
Hamilton said to the Associated Press. I stand by those within the community here. I hope they continue to stand firm and push back. Ill have the rainbow on my helmet. Its no different to when we were in Saudi.
Hamiltons rainbow helmet first appeared at the inaugural running of the
Grand Prix of Qatar in 2021. The Persian Gulf state, which hosted
the FIFA World Cup amid similar controversy following year, criminalizes homosexuality, with punishment ranging from long-term imprisonment to the death penalty.
Similar laws are also on the books in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan and the United Arab Emiratesall stops for the F1 circuit this year.