F1 Drivers Discuss Whether to Take a Knee at Season Opener

Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday. (Reuters)
Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday. (Reuters)
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F1 Drivers Discuss Whether to Take a Knee at Season Opener

Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday. (Reuters)
Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday. (Reuters)

Formula One drivers will discuss taking a knee at the opening race of the delayed season in Austria on Sunday.

“Some of the drivers have already been speaking,” McLaren driver Lando Norris said. “If we are going to do it, we should all do it as a grid. It will be discussed following the drivers’ briefing with the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association on Friday."

The Black Lives Matter movement has been supported by football players in Germany, Italy and England taking a knee before and during games.

“We will do whatever we can to show that we care and respect everyone,” Norris said. "We will do what is right when the time comes.”

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about Black Lives Matter and F1's diversity issues.

Like Hamilton, Norris will carry the “End Racism” message on his car this season. The 20-year old driver recently encouraged his social media following to sign petitions following Hamilton’s criticism of his peers for staying silent on the matter.

“I want to do better than any other driver, but everyone should be given the same opportunity and treated the same,” Norris said. “It is not fair that people get treated differently because of their race.

“This sport reaches millions of people and the more we can do as drivers, teams, and as a community in Formula One, the bigger impact we can have.”



Fan's Death Overshadows Bayern's Win in Champions League

Soccer Football - Champions League - Bayern Munich v Benfica - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - November 6, 2024  Bayern Munich players applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth
Soccer Football - Champions League - Bayern Munich v Benfica - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - November 6, 2024 Bayern Munich players applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth
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Fan's Death Overshadows Bayern's Win in Champions League

Soccer Football - Champions League - Bayern Munich v Benfica - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - November 6, 2024  Bayern Munich players applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth
Soccer Football - Champions League - Bayern Munich v Benfica - Allianz Arena, Munich, Germany - November 6, 2024 Bayern Munich players applaud fans after the match REUTERS/Angelika Warmuth

Bayern Munich is mourning the death of a fan who attended the team’s 1-0 win over Benfica in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Bavarian club said early Thursday morning that it received the news that the fan had died while being transported to the hospital.
Bayern fans did not sing or chant during the game out of respect for the person. The atmosphere in Bayern’s stadium was noticeably muted some minutes after kickoff when it became apparent there was a medical emergency requiring the attention of paramedics and police officers.
The Bayern supporters’ group Club Nr. 12 said its members would “not be supporting as usual today because of an emergency medical intervention. Life comes before sport. We wish the family and friends lots of strength.”
The Bayern supporters did not resume chanting after the person was carried out of the block on a stretcher after about half an hour, The Associated Press reported.
Jamal Musiala’s 67th-minute header – set up by Harry Kane – was enough for Bayern to end its two-game losing run and claim its second win of the league phase.
The Bayern fans cheered and celebrated the goal, but the atmosphere remained muted for the rest of the match.
“We didn't know of it during the game, just after it,” Bayern midfielder Konrad Laimer said of the medical emergency. “We wish the family strength and best wishes, we're thinking of all involved, and we're hoping for the best for the individual fan."
Bayern's announcement came later.