Lewis Hamilton has said racing in Florida is ‘no different’ to Saudi Arabia amid strict new anti-LGBTQ+ laws introduced across the state.
Hamilton was speaking with Formula 1 staging the Miami Grand Prix for the second year running amid the backdrop of political unrest.
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The state’s board of education is pushing forward with the expansion of a ‘don’t say gay’ bill, which prohibits the teaching of sexuality and gender identity in schools.
Florida governor Ron DeSantis is also expected to sign another bill requiring people to only use bathrooms that align with their sex assigned at birth after the US Senate approved its use this week.
Miami is round five of the F1 season, and round two was in Saudi where homosexual acts are illegal.
During that race weekend, Hamilton said ‘many people are uncomfortable’ racing in Saudi, and when asked about the situation in Florida, he compared the two.
Speaking to the BBC F1 podcast, he said: “My sympathy and my thoughts are with the people that are here in Miami because it’s the lawmakers that are making those decisions.
“I just stand by those within the community here and I hope they can stand firm and continue to push back.
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“I’ll be having the rainbow on my helmet this weekend, it’s no different to when we were in Saudi, I think it’s not the right direction, not the right message.
“I’m here this weekend, I’m hoping that just by showing up and doing my helmet I’ll be able to continue to support the LGBTQ community and stand with them in solidarity.”
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