Motorsports governing body FIA is "investigating whether Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton broke any rules" relating to political statements or gestures at events by "wearing a T-shirt with a message about the shooting of Breonna Taylor both before and after his win at the F1 Tuscan GP." Hamilton wore the shirt "on the podium as he collected his winner's trophy and ended his immediate post-race interview by saying: 'Justice for Breonna Taylor.'" The front of Hamilton's shirt "featured the words 'Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor', while the back contained her picture below the words 'say her name'." Hamilton was the "latest sportsperson to highlight Taylor's fate." Naomi Osaka wore a face mask with Taylor's name on "before her first-round match at the US Open" (SKY SPORTS, 9/14).
Asked whether the FIA considered the T-shirt to be bearing a political message, an FIA spokesperson said: "That's the consideration we are looking into." Mercedes F1 CEO Toto Wolff said on Saturday that Hamilton "had the organisation's full support in his desire to highlight racial injustice and that it was up to him what T-shirts he wished to wear to demonstrate that" (BBC, 9/14).
