"Why do you want to control us?" - Lewis Hamilton's ex-teammate questions FIA's new rule banning political speech in F1

Lewis Hamilton's former teammate Valtteri Bottas recently shared his thoughts on F1's new rule amendment that bans drivers from making any political statements on race weekends. Since the sport is watched by millions, certain drivers have used the platform to raise awareness on several global issues surrounding racism, gender inequality, climate change, etc. However, they will now need written permission from the FIA to do so.

According to expressen.se, Bottas explained how he does not like politics but still thinks that it is important to speak about them. The Finn mentioned Sebastian Vettel and other drivers who use F1 as a platform to spread positivity while stating that he dislikes how the FIA is curtailing drivers' freedom of speech through this new rule. He said:

"Personally, I don't like politics. I like to do what I love, which is racing, but at the same time, politics is part of today's society. I think Formula 1 has done a good job of bringing attention to some of these types of issues and many drivers have raised their voices, including Sebastian. I don't understand why they want to control us. I think we should have the right to talk about what we want. That's how I see it, but we'll see what happens."

Valtteri Bottas' former teammate Lewis Hamilton is one of the most outspoken F1 drivers in the history of the sport. He has constantly used his and the sport's massive platform to speak about racism, gender inequality, and other global issues. Bottas is well aware of how much the new rule will harm Hamilton, as he has known him since he was a Mercedes driver.

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Lewis Hamilton shares similarities between all F1 drivers

Lewis Hamilton recently revealed how F1 drivers maintain a healthy relationship with one another while being fierce rivals and competitors. Speaking on Jay Shetty's On Purpose podcast, the seven-time world champion explained how drivers have a lot in common but cannot always share interests because of the competitive element. He said:

"We have a lot more in common than we think. But we're so competitive and a lot of us have a defence. You want to beat the guy, but you like the guy. You might like the person outside the car, but you can't show that. There's this whole psychological battle you're having with yourself and getting away with yourself a lot of the time."

He further added:

"There's this huge psychological and emotional rollercoaster that you're going through that it will be really hard for people to comprehend."

Though we have seen drivers hanging out and relaxing together off-track, Lewis Hamilton revealed how they can go through a psychological and emotional rollercoaster after having a tough battle in a race with each other.