Lewis Hamilton has accused F1 ruler Mohammed Ben Sulayem of introducing a ‘racist element’ after he told drivers not to behave like rappers.
Ben Sulayem, the FIA president, made the comment in an interview calling for a clampdown on swearing over team radios.
‘We have to differentiate between our sport and rap music,’ said Ben Sulayem, an Emirati and first non-European head of the governing body.
‘We’re not rappers. They say the f-word how many times per minute? We are not on that. That’s them and we are us.’
Responding to the comments to Autosport, Hamilton said: ‘I don’t like how he has expressed it. Saying rappers, is very stereotypical. Most rappers are black, so it says we are not like them.
‘It’s the wrong choice of words, and there is a racial element there.’
Lewis Hamilton accused FIA chief Mohammed Ben Sulayem of a introducing a ‘racial element’ in clampdown on swearing over team radios
Ben Sulayem said in an interview ‘we have to differentiate between our sport and rap music’
Hamilton previously clashed with the F1 chief over claims drivers should not wear jewellery inside the cockpit
Ben Sulayem, 62, has proved a divisive figure since he succeeded former Ferrari team principal Jean Todt since winning power in December 2021. He oversees 247 motoring and motor sport clubs in 147 countries.
Ben Sulayem was cleared by the FIA’s ethics panel in March of meddling in two races – concerning the results of last year’s 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and allegedly withholding a safety certificate for the inaugural £500million Las Vegas showpiece later that year.
Asked at the time if he supported the former Middle Eastern rally champion, Hamilton replied that he had ‘never’ had his backing.
The two previously clashed over Ben Sulayem’s insistence that drivers should not wear jewellery in the cockpit – a policy Hamilton felt was aimed at him.
The stand-off finally abated but not before Hamilton was fined €50,000 (£42,000) for breaching the protocol. He later received an exemption to wear his nose studs after apparently suffering an infection after removing them.
As for Ben Sulayem’s call for bad language to be curbed, Hamilton, who has never been a prolific swearer, added: ‘I agree it needs cleaning up. But it is also good to show some emotion. We are not robots.
‘I control it is because over 2,000 people work towards putting me in the position I am. It is not about me.
Hamilton agreed language over team radios needs ‘cleaning up’ but added ‘we are not robots’
Ben Sulayem was cleared by the FIA’s ethics panel in March of meddling in two races, one of which concerned the results of last year’s 2023 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix
‘Even though I am having this experience on track, what I do or what I say affects all those people who are giving up absolutely everything to help me, so you need to understand that.’
World champion Max Verstappen was less impressed by the call, saying: ‘Excuse me for the language, but come on. Like, what are we? Five-year-olds? Six-year-olds?
‘Even if a five-year-old or six-year-old is watching, I mean, they will eventually swear anyway, even if the parents don’t or won’t allow it.
‘When they grow up, they will walk around with their friends and they will be swearing. So this is not changing anything.’