Lewis Hamilton hasn’t shied away from discussing Saudi Arabia’s human rights record, and now he’s revealed a letter he’s received from a 14-year-old boy on death row.
Despite enduring a torrid time, the Brit is expected to participate in the March 27 Grand Prix. For the first time since 2017, Hamilton was knocked out of qualifying in Q1. The last time he exited on pure pace was back in 2009 at the British GP.
The 37-year-old’s struggles to get to grips with the machinery underneath him has resulted in him starting from 16th place when Sunday’s race begins. However, he may opt for a pit-lane start with the intent of working on the issue that tormented his qualifying attempt.
Before the event, the safety of the drivers was brought into question. Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for attacking a Saudi oil facility less than 10 miles from the Jeddah race track. Their actions left the depot ablaze, which resulted in concerns for the safety of the drivers and the fans.
However, the qualifying went ahead regardless of several competitors voicing their concerns to F1 Chief Executive Stefano Domenicali in a four-hour meeting.
The week has gathered mass controversy, and in a shocking turn of events, an official wished harm on Hamilton.
A fire marshal makes a disgusting comment about Lewis Hamilton
In 2020, Roman Grosjean crashed during the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix. His vehicle caught fire in one of the most frightening moments in sporting history. Luckily, he escaped. In a shocking turn of events, a marshall used this infamous incident to aim a harrowing comment in Hamilton’s direction.
Tweeting under the name @Heem4U, he said: “I hope he has an accident like Roman’s accident in Bahrain.”
The sickening comment has resulted in The FIA removing him from his post. Although what he said may have hurt Hamilton, the sportsman is more upset by the message he received from a Saudi youngster.
Lewis Hamilton gets a letter from a Saudi Arabian 14-year-old
The Brit has passionately campaigned for improved human rights worldwide throughout his career. This week he made sure to voice his message in Saudi Arabia as much as possible. He revealed that he’d received a letter from a young boy on death row.
As per The Express, he said: “It’s mind-blowing to hear the stories. I’ve heard there has been a letter sent to me from a 14-year-old who is on death row. When you are 14, you still don’t know what the hell you are doing in life.”
According to the same article, there are reports that the Saudi state has executed 97 people over the last two weeks. Although the seven-time world champion doesn’t dictate the location of the races, he prioritises fighting for positive causes whenever he can. Hamilton added: “We don’t decide where we go. But I think we are duty-bound to try and do what we can while we are here.”
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