F1 2020: Charles Leclerc hits out after revealing why he won’t kneel

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc has blasted people calling him a “racist” because he won’t kneel, explaining why he chooses to stand.

F1 star Charles Leclerc has lashed out after being labelled a “racist” because he won’t kneel before races.

The Ferrari young gun is one of multiple drivers who have stayed on their feet when the national anthem is played before grands prix this year.

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Kneeling has become a symbol of support for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and competitors in sports leagues around the world have adopted the practice to show their solidarity for racial equality.

But Leclerc says he won’t kneel because some of the BLM protests around the world in recent months have turned violent, and he doesn’t support that.

On Friday morning the 22-year-old tweeted his disgust at being lumped in with “disgusting” racists just because he won’t take a knee.

“It is very sad to see how some people manipulate my words to make headlines making me sound like a racist,” Leclerc wrote.

“I am not racist and I absolutely hate racism. Racism is disgusting.

“Stop putting me in the same group as these disgusting people that are discriminating (against) others because of their skin colour, religion or gender. I’m not part of them and I never will.

“I’ve always been respectful to everyone and that should be the standard in today’s world.

“And to whoever is using my image to promote their wrong ideas, please stop. I’m not into politics and I don’t want to be involved in that.”

RELATED: Lewis Hamilton slams ‘rushed’ anti-racism protest

RELATED: F1 criticised for cutting away from BLM protest

Lewis Hamilton has led the charge for F1 to speak out against racism.

Prior to his social media rant, Leclerc explained his reasoning for choosing to stand while others kneel.

“I don’t want to kneel down, because many of the protests that take place around the world are often violent,” he told Italian publication La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“And I do not accept violence in any form.

“I also don’t like that politicians are starting to use these protests for their own purposes.”

Six-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has urged his sport to be more active in pushing for racial equality. After last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix he slammed racing bosses for a “rushed” pre-race protest, saying the issue deserves more consideration.

“They need to do more, and I don’t know why they only did it for the first race at the start, they’ve not done it since then,” Hamilton said.

“They’ve come out saying they’re going to be fighting for diversity and End Racism, but they’re not giving us the platform to continue that because it’s all rushed.

“I think they can give us more time. I’ll probably send an email over the next couple of days, try to co-ordinate with them. They do want to do it, it’s just I guess there was not good enough communication.”