LONDON — Formula 1
boss Stefano Domenicali says drivers will no longer be given the formal
opportunity to take a knee before races, stressing that it is now time for
"action" to increase diversity in motorsport.
اضافة اعلان
Britain's Lewis Hamilton and
other drivers have knelt ahead of 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 on Tuesday
announced it was extending its funding commitment to the Formula One
engineering scholarship program for under-represented groups until 2025. And it
will carry on screening an anti-racism message ahead of every race.
"We needed to make sure
that what we did was important to show the intention of Formula One in things
that were really important for the world," F1 president and chief
executive Domenicali told Sky Sports.
"I think now it's the
matter of (changing) gesture to action. Now the action is the focus on the
diversity of our community, and this is the first step."
It is understood that
drivers will still be allowed to kneel at another stage before the start of the
race, possibly by their cars.
Domenicali's remarks come
just days after Hamilton all but confirmed he would return to the grid, ending
his social media silence following last year's controversial title decider in
Abu Dhabi.
Hamilton's F1 future had
been clouded in uncertainty following Max Verstappen's championship win but he
tweeted on Saturday: "I've been gone, now I'm back."
"There was a total respect
on his choice to be on silent mode," said Domenicali. "I think he
will be fully charged for the start of the season."
He added: "Lewis has in
front of him a possibility to be an eight-time world champion.
"So I'm sure he is
totally focused on these objectives because this year there will be so many new
things, so many variables, that will allow this championship to be so
attractive."
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