Vettel: Drivers need to 'sort out' pre-race kneel act

Sebastian Vettel is supportive of Lewis Hamilton's efforts to organize a better pre-race kneel procedure, insisting that drivers need to talk among themselves to sort out the issue.

Under Hamilton's leadership, drivers initiated the pre-race kneel practice in Austria, with the group donning an 'End Racism' t-shirt but several members choosing to stand during the brief ceremonial.

The act - which Hamilton wishes to perpetuate - was repeated before the Styrian Grand Prix and in Hungary, but last Sunday's gathering was a rushed affair with several drivers joining late.

Hamilton later criticized F1 and the FIA for not providing drivers with a formal platform on which to the group can collectively express its message in a coordinated way.

• Hamilton unhappy with 'rushed' pre-race kneel act

Following Hamilton's lead, Vettel supports the idea of a better organized pre-race ritual.

"What you see is what the situation is," Vettel said in Hungary.

"There was very, very little time, everything was a bit rushed. I think drivers were just about to arrive to do whatever every driver individually decided to do, but in the end, they were starting [the national anthem].

"I think going forward, it's probably true that we need to talk amongst ourselves a bit better, so hopefully we can sort it out."

In Hungary, Hamilton singled out GPDA director Romain Grosjean, revealing that the Haas driver felt that the symbolic gesture should perhaps not be continued.

“I think from a drivers’ point of view, many people seem to be of the opinion that they’ve done it once and they’re not going to do it again," said Hamilton.

"I don’t know their reasons for that opinion. We are all members of the GPDA, and the GPDA is run by three people – two that are really for it and supportive of it, and one that is one of those who thinks it’s not important to continue with.

"I try not to lean so much on the drivers because I don’t want them to feel that it’s for me they’re doing it because that could be in some cases a reason why some people might not want to do it – because they think it’s because I’m doing it.

"But I don’t think it has been taken seriously. I think there are people who have perhaps not grown up around it so don’t understand it, and there are those that because of that ‘it doesn’t effect me’," argued Hamilton.

"I’ve heard those comments – ‘It doesn’t do anything for me so why should I do it?’ – but it’s not about me, it’s not about you, it’s about this fight that for people out in the world who are experiencing discrimination."

Haas boss Guenther Steiner said that Grosjean's reluctance to continue kneeling was not an indication of the French driver's lack of support for F1's anti-racism message.

"I know Romain very well and for sure he supports it," Steiner said, quoted by Autosport.

"But there is also the question, how long do we do this? You show your support and we support him completely as a team and as human beings.

"It is everyone's own decision what he wants to do with it and how long he wants to do it.

"I think we are all up for it, but we have done that, and if somebody decides not to do it anymore, it doesn't mean that he is not against racism.

"We should be conscious of that one as well. It's a free world. We respect everybody in the world, and we have done it, Romain has done it.

"It is his own decision what he does going forward."

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