This archive report was first published on 5 July 2020.
Formula One drivers gathered at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Styria, Austria, on July 4, 2020, for the season-opening Austrian Grand Prix, the first F1 event since the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, the drivers expressed unity in the fight against racism, with some, like Frenchman Romain Grosjean and Danish driver Kevin Magnussen, confirming they would take a knee in solidarity.
However, others were more reticent, and the decision to take a knee was left to individual drivers.
Mercedes' six-times world champion Lewis Hamilton, the sport's only Black driver, has been an outspoken advocate for racial justice and diversity in Formula One.
Hamilton did not reveal his own plans for the gesture but emphasized the importance of supporting the cause.
"Our voices are powerful and if we bring them together collectively we can have a huge impact," he told reporters on Thursday.
Hamilton has also been critical of those who have stayed silent on the killing of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man who died in May after a white U.S. police officer knelt on his neck.
On Sunday, the drivers will maintain their distance from each other during grid procedures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and there will be no podium prize-giving.
