"Whether or not they throw me in jail" - Lewis Hamilton reminisces one of the major risks he took before a race weekend

Lewis Hamilton talked about arguably one of the braver things he has done in his career when he wore the rainbow-liveried helmet at the 2021 Qatar GP.

The Middle East region has been notorious for strict laws against the LGBTQ+ community, and there have been multiple reports of human rights violations as well. Talking about wearing the rainbow liveried helmet in Qatar to show support for the community, Hamilton said that he was ready to go to jail if needed.

In the video uploaded on the Mercedes YouTube channel, Lewis Hamilton looked back at the race and what was going on in his mind during that race weekend:

"For me, it is mindblowing that we live in a time still where there are so many countries around the world but particularly. ... there are a lot of human rights issues in the Middle East. Women's rights, LGBT rights - there are laws that restrict people from being their true selves. I have always been a risk taker. 'I am going to do this whether or not they throw me in jail, I don't care what they are going to do, I am going to stand for something I believe in even if it kills me'."

He added:

"I know it sounds crazy but like. ... 'I need to do this' to show people how important it is and spark those conversations out there, put those in power on edge and feel like they need to have conversations about making change because it brings negativity to their country. I did it, and I won the race. My drive was like 'I have got to get to the top of the podium because then that will make the biggest bang', and I did."

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Lewis Hamilton aware that it could take a long time before any team catches Red Bull

Talking about the 2023 season, Lewis Hamilton is aware that it could take a while before any team catch up with Red Bull.

With the Austrian team already nailing the regulations, the Mercedes driver admitted that it's going to be tough to catch up:

"I'm aware that it could take a long time to catch a car. If you look at the Red Bull, is just going to continue to evolve most likely. Although some cars do plateau in terms of performance, when you get to some point, it can't just keep going. But maybe it can. They've got a great team around them, so I'm sure they'll continue to add downforce."

Lewis Hamilton secured his first podium this season in Australia and will look to build on that in Baku.