Seven-time Formula One champ Lewis Hamilton calls out attack on Roe v. Wade

Ahead of the first Formula One Grand Prix event in the United States this year on Sunday, the sport’s seven-time champion, Lewis Hamilton, has spoken out against a draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade.

“I love being in the States, but I can’t ignore what’s going on right now and what some in the government are trying to do to the women who live here,” Hamilton said on his Instagram story on Thursday to his near 28 million followers. “Everyone should have the right to choose what they do with their bodies. We can’t let that choice be taken away.”

A subsequent post shared names of organizations and resources that support abortion rights. Hamtilon posted multiple photos to Instagram Friday morning in Miami, where this weekend’s race will occur, with the tagline “Trust me I can stand the heat.”

Hamilton has been outspoken in support of human rights at past Formula One events. Last December ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah, he called out The Kingdom’s “terrifying” LGBTQ laws. “Do I feel comfortable here? I wouldn’t say I do. But it’s not my choice to be here,” Hamilton said last year. “The sport has taken the choice to be here.”

When the circuit returned to Saudi land in March, the Hamilton shared that he was sent a letter by the family of a teenage prisoner set to be executed: “There’s not really a lot that I can say that’s going to make much of a difference. It’s obviously mind-blowing to hear the stories. ... I’ve heard that there’s a letter sent to me from a 14-year-old that’s on death row. ... When you are 14 you don’t know what the hell you are doing in life.”

The Miami Grand Prix is one of two American stops of Formula One’s 2022 season, with the other coming in Austin on October 23.