It was back in late May that little Lewis Hamilton, supported by the global corporations whose sport Formula 1 motor racing is, began virtue-shaming his fellow drivers into taking the knee.  The industry stampeded itself into a virtue-programme mis-named “We Race As One”, which is, of course, the complete opposite of the truth; and the whole shabang disappeared up its own intellectually pathetic fundament.  Enter sturdy Vitaly Petrov, the ex-FI driver and the first Russian to race in the formula.  At the Sochi GP in September he let it be known that, among other things:

“For me, a Black Lives Matter t-shirt is superfluous, as is calling on everyone to kneel,” Petrov said. “That is a personal matter for every adult.”

“I don’t understand the kneeling because, according to our traditions, a man kneels only in two cases – in a place of worship before God and when you propose to your future wife.”

“You can speak out on your social networks, you can give interviews, you can create some kind of social movement, you can contact the government. But for Formula 1 itself to call on everyone… I think half of the fans didn’t understand.”

Petrov then attacked Hamilton’s Breonna Taylor T-shirt, which he wore at Mugello.  Apparently, that was a political statement, and drivers were promptly banned from such stunts at subsequent races.  Petrov 1 Hamilton 0.

Somehow, Petrov then got himself chosen to serve as a steward for the Portuguese GP running on Sunday.  So, of course, Hamilton, the oppressed Monaco resident and half-billionaire, rushed to let his intolerance of different opinions be known.  He said:

“I would say it’s a surprise to see they would be hiring someone that has those beliefs, and is so vocal about things that we’re trying to fight against,” said Hamilton.

“So you should take it up with them really, there’s nothing I can particularly do about it.

“But we should definitely be including people here who are with the times, who are understanding of the times that we are living in, and sensitive to the matters that are surrounding us.

“I don’t really understand what their goal is or why particularly he’s here. It’s not like they don’t have any other good options.”

Today Hamilton has been joined by a bunch of rainbow letter people, who no one has ever heard of, but who are obviously considered important by the very woke motor racing media, who report that:

“Racing Pride wishes to express its concern at the appointment of Vitaly Petrov as an FIA Driver Steward for this weekend’s Portuguese Grand Prix in light of his recent, widely reported public comments relating to the #WeRaceAsOne initiative, which were both racist and homophobic in nature.”

On can only assume that the industry doesn’t give a damn about its fan base who, by definition, are not a bunch of weedy, pencil-neck sociology students or blokes in dresses who expect to use the ladies loo.  They’re petrol heads.  They’re not equality fanatics.  F1 is not about equality.  When Hamilton began whining about BLM the consensus of opinion among fans was “Stick to the racing, mate”.  Sadly, the FI media responded with lock-step wokery.  Not much dissent was visible.  On the Autosport readers forum one forum member well-known to the author of this post did manage to opine as follows:

I am an avid reader of Autosport.  I do not participate in the forum, after a brief flurry of doing so some years ago.  But today, with Luke Smith’s opinion piece titled “Why Lewis Hamilton’s “stick to racing” critics are missing the point” Autosport ventured into racial politics, and that I cannot allow to pass without the following mild protest.

Luke’s presumption is that F1 and, in particular, the media personnel covering F1, must have fewer white people.  By extension, white people everywhere, and most especially white men, may not exercise hegemony in any sphere of the life we have, by the genius and adventure of our forebears, created ex nihilo.  Apparently, our moral obligation is to get out of the way for the sake of “diversity” - something imposed upon us, as upon all Europeans, by the violence of the state and the deceit of politicians   It is an imposition to which we are, as much as is possible in Western society, denied dissent.  Apparently, speaking freely and dissenting on the matter ... arguing for the interests of our own people in our own home ... is so immoral for white people, it can only be met with a ritual public dehumanisation.  In our schools and universities the lock-step lesson our children have to learn is that because they are white they have “privilege”.  They are lesser beings than the oppressed innocents of the immigrant populations.  Yet the diversity-mongers like Luke meekly and mechanically presume that justice and fairness is a one-way, anti-white street.  It really isn’t.

In America half a century of vastly expensive efforts to lift African-Americans out of their lowly estate have not produced the perfect human equality which the liberal mind requires.  Puzzlingly, Chinese-Americans and Indian-Americans require no such aid.  The great bugbear “white racism” does not seem to hold them back at all.  It is an inconvenient fact which few black commentators besides Michelle Malkin or the brave social theorist Thomas Sowell will discuss.  It is something that Lewis could profitably think about.  Perhaps he might then attend not to his fellow racers, seeking to enlist them in the equality delusion, but to Africa’s children everywhere, urging them to examine themselves for the causes of their discontents.

But, please Autosport, don’t report it.  Stick to the racing.

The comment lasted 15 minutes.  The forum member was banned.  The F1 wokery don’t just fail to understand the soul of motor racing.  They have no souls.  They also have a sporting spectacle which has become painfully boring to watch and is haemorrhaging fans.  You would think they have better things to worry about than Hamilton’s tedious whining.  But at least we have to thank the little coloured boy for bringing a bit of excitement to this race weekend.  Never mind the even greater tedium on track.  Will Petrov remain in situ in Portugal until the race on Sunday afternoon?