Lewis Hamilton urged by NGOS to skip Saudi Arabian Grand Prix over human rights issues

The new Mercedes-AMG Petronas-Lewis Hamilton contract will see the 7-time World Champion take to the circuit once more in an attempt to overtake Michael Schumacher and create history by winning an 8th World Championship title. With the 2021 F1 season set to begin in Bahrain this March and set to end in Abu Dhabi, there will be a burden on Hamilton, not just to win, but also to speak out against the human rights abuses prevalent in many of the countries that will be a part of the tour this season. The most controversial of these will be the brand new Saudi Arabia GP, set to be held in December 2021.

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Formula 1 news: Saudi Arabia human rights violations at the fore ahead of race

British racing champion Lewis Hamilton is being hauled up for his lack of commitment to speaking out about human rights violations in countries like Saudi Arabia and Bahrain - both financially lucrative countries for Formula 1. As the most prominent driver in Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton led the F1's response during the Black Lives Matter movement. However, despite receiving multiple requests from Human Rights advocacy groups, Hamilton's responses to the Saudi Arabia GP so far, have been non-committal and seem to have been made just for the sake of making statements. 

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"We don’t have to shut those areas [which have bad human rights records] off. We have to figure out how we can engage more, how we can really utilise this platform to encourage and push for change," Hamilton was quoted as saying in recent times. While it could be taken as a positive step, but what remains to be seen is what, is anything, Hamilton will say against the Saudis. A part of a chilling letter to Hamilton, written by almost 50 NGOs, reads "You have shown immense courage in your fight. If the best F1 driver refuses to race in Saudi Arabia, it will be discussed and it could be of great importance to convince the country to finally change its view on human rights". 

If not a complete boycott, the organizations hope Hamilton will speak out about the alleged torture and sexual abuse of female rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul, who was imprisoned for protesting against Saudi Arabia's driving ban on women.

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Lewis Hamilton net worth figure

Lewis Hamilton's net worth is estimated to be at a whopping $285 million by Celebrity Net Worth. In 2020, Hamilton was ranked 13th on Forbes Magazine's list of 'The World's Highest-Paid Athletes' for the year. He has endorsement deals with Bose, L'Oréal, Mercedes-Benz, Monster Energy, Tommy Hilfiger, Vodafone-USD etc and earns a cool $12 million in 2020 from them. The new Mercedes-Lewis Hamilton contract alone is said to be worth a massive £40 million according to reports.

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Disclaimer: The above mentioned Lewis Hamilton net worth figure has been sourced from various websites and media reports. This website does not guarantee 100% accuracy of the same.  

Image Credits: Lewis Hamilton Twitter