Lewis Hamilton has stated Ralf Schumacher's announcement that he is in a same-sex relationship will “liberate others” to speak out.
Schumacher revealed his news on social media earlier this week, drawing praise from many of his F1 peers.
Hamilton has long been an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community and often wears a pride flag on his race helmet, and has advocated for equal rights in some countries where homosexuality is outlawed.
When asked why he feels it has taken Schumacher so long to publicly announce his sexuality, Hamilton told media including RacingNews365: “I think clearly he’s not felt comfortable enough to say it in the past.
“But I think it just shows that we are in the time and finally can take that step and don’t have to fear. Hopefully people will say that. I think so far I’ve heard only positive feedback from people.
“And I think that’s because of the time we’re living in and the changes we are in. it all started from Seb [Vettel] and I standing on the grid here, fighting against what the government is doing here.
“When I was wearing a helmet in Saudi in Qatar, and I know Ralf said that it wasn’t a good idea to do those things.
“But after that he made a shift in his mind. And even him taking that step sends such a positive message. And liberates others to be able to do the same.”
'F1 must do more to be inclusive'
While Hamilton is pleased with the steps F1 has taken in recent years, the seven-time world champion asserted more work as to be done to make the sport more inclusive.
“We’re in this little bubble,” he said. “I think within sports, I think it still has a huge, a long way to go.
“There’s one thing saying that it’s inclusive, and there’s another thing actually making sure that people feel comfortable in the environment.
“I mean, this is a male-dominated space, and as far as I know, he’s one of the first to at least publicly be speaking in that respect.
“But we’re very inclusive within our team, but I think the sport does need to continue to do more to make people feel more comfortable, to make women feel more welcome in this space.
“Because I know that not all of them are treated well in this space, and so we have to do more of that.”
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