Lando Norris: If we take the knee, "we should all do it as a grid"

Lando Norris

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If we take the knee, "we should all do it as a grid" - Norris

Norris says drivers will 'do what is right' to stand against discrimination

Ian Parkes & Sam Hall

Tuesday 30 June 2020 16:00 Updated: 18:04

Lando Norris has revealed that conversations have taken place between a group of Formula 1 drivers over taking the knee ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, an action symbolic of the 'Black Lives Matter' campaign.

Ahead of football matches across Europe, players, staff and officials have shown a united front in taking the knee at kick-off.

Formula 1 has launched the #WeRaceAsOne initiative, and Lewis Hamilton the 'Hamilton Commission', and Norris says conversations have begun over whether taking the knee would be the 'right' thing to do in Austria.

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“Some of the drivers have already been speaking [about taking a knee],” Norris told the PA news agency. “If we are going to do it, we should all do it as a grid.

“It will be discussed following the drivers’ briefing with the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association on Friday. We will do whatever we can to show that we care and respect everyone. We will do what is right when the time comes.”

Norris continued by saying: “I want to do better than any other driver, but everyone should be given the same opportunity and treated the same. It is not fair that people get treated differently because of their race.

“This sport reaches millions of people and the more we can do as drivers, teams, and as a community in Formula One, the bigger impact we can have.”

In a media conference call including GPFans, McLaren team principal Andreas Seidl was asked for his feelings with regard to drivers taking the knee.

"In terms of all the initiatives that are in discussion at the moment between the drivers, for us as McLaren, we obviously fully support the different initiatives that are ongoing at the moment," said Seidl. "We are very close there, also, with Formula 1.

"In the end, we leave it completely to our drivers, how they feel they have to deal with the different initiatives that are in discussion at the moment."

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