Button hails Hamilton for anti-racism and diversity stance
Jenson Button has praised former team-mate Lewis Hamilton for standing up and speaking out against racism and for his pursuit of diversity and change in Formula 1.
In a year when Hamilton has become statistically the greatest driver in F1 history, he has also chosen to push himself to the foreground as a Black Lives Matter campaigner, as well as calling for F1 to embrace a cultural change and shift away from its perception as a white, male-dominated sport.
Combining the on- and off-track roles have impressed Button, who has already declared Hamilton's achievement as a seven-time F1 champion as "extraordinary".
"I think it is great so many sportsmen are using their platform to help end racism and have diversity in sport, and especially in Formula 1, so it is great to see Lewis doing that," Button told Sky Sports News.
"You can't discount anyone in Formula 1. They have really worked as a team to end racism this year.
"I think they have done a really fantastic job of bringing it to the forefront of the importance of the sport, which it is, and hopefully we will see change and diversity in the sport."
Believing F1 is ripe for change, Button, who was Hamilton's team-mate at McLaren from 2010-2012, added: "We want to see people from different backgrounds coming to Formula 1.
"We want to see more women in motorsport, whether it is driving, engineering, aerodynamicists or whatever, so it is a changing sport and definitely for the better, and it is really great to see Lewis pushing that."
Before you go...
Is Vettel back to his best after Turkish GP podium?
Renault 'now the underdog' in fight for third - Ricciardo
Related
More F1 news
Latest F1 news
Recommended by the editors
F1 News & Gossip
Kim Kardashian calls Lewis Hamilton live in the paddock after landmark Barcelona GP victory
Barcelona Grand Prix
FIA announce LATE penalty for Mercedes star at Barcelona Grand Prix
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton and Sky F1 pundit in tense exchange live on air
Barcelona Grand Prix
F1 Results Today: Lewis Hamilton claims record win at Barcelona Grand Prix
Races
-
Grand Prix of Australia 2026
-
Grand Prix of China 2026
-
Grand Prix of Japan 2026
-
Grand Prix of Bahrain 2026
-
Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2026
-
Miami Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix du Canada 2026
-
Grand Prix De Monaco 2026
-
Gran Premio de Barcelona-Catalunya 2026
-
Grand Prix of Austria 2026
-
Grand Prix of Great Britain 2026
-
Grand Prix of Belgium 2026
-
Grand Prix of Hungary 2026
-
Dutch Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix of Italy 2026
-
Gran Premio de España 2026
-
Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2026
-
Grand Prix of Singapore 2026
-
Grand Prix of the United States 2026
-
Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2026
-
Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2026
-
Las Vegas Grand Prix 2026
-
Qatar Grand Prix 2026
-
Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2026
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Editorial & corporate information
Avenue HQ
10–12 East Parade
Leeds
LS1 2BH
United Kingdom Regional correspondence
View contact page