Lewis Hamilton has “no interest whatsoever” in moving over to Formula E despite taking a stance on climate change and saying he wants to make his lifestyle “carbon neutral”.
Earlier this month Hamilton took to social media, saying the “world is a messed up place” and that he felt like “giving up”.
The Mercedes driver was speaking out over his decision to go vegan, which he feels is the only way to save the planet.
While Hamilton’s comments earned him ridicule from some given that F1 is a gas-guzzling sporting and drivers take around 200 flights a year, Jean-Eric Vergne says if that’s how he feels than Formula E should the series for him.
Hamilton says it is not.
“I have no interest whatsoever to do Formula E, so that’s not something I currently plan to do beyond,” he said.
“And then, lots of people have had opinions about how I utilise my social media, but ultimately it’s my platform and we all have a voice, everyone here and around the world, and it’s how you choose to… how you want to use it.
“Personally, it’s not the easiest, because yes, we are travelling around the world, we are racing Formula 1 cars and our carbon footprint for sure is higher than the average homeowner who lives in the same city, but that doesn’t mean that you should be afraid to speak out about things that can be a positive change and I’m always looking at things, and how I can improve the effect that I’m having on the world.
“I guess it’s something that over time I have become more and more aware of and it takes a while. It’s not a quick-fix thing. It takes time to understand the implications and I think it’s just about education and I’m just trying to highlight areas.
“Whether people choose to look into those, that’s up to them, but I’d feel like I wasn’t doing anything positive if I didn’t mention it.”
Hamilton added that he is taking steps to ensure that his life is “carbon neutral” before the end of this year.
He explained: “I’m trying to make sure that by the end of the year I’m carbon neutral. I don’t allow anyone in my office but also within my household to buy any plastics. I want everything recycle-able down to deodorant, down to toothbrush, all these kind of things. So I’m trying to make as much change as I can in my personal space.
“I sold my plane over a year ago. I fly a lot less now, I try to fly less through the year and mostly fly commercial so that’s been a big change in my habits. I’ve avoided trips as well if I don’t need to do it, been in the UK for example with family and gone up to Bedfordshire and stayed with the family instead of gone on holiday.
“Obviously I’ve changed my diet which is quite a drastic difference.”
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