Andretti disagrees with activism Hamilton: "It causes division"

Mario Andretti, Formula 1 World Champion of 1978, believes that sport and politics should be kept separate. He says he has a lot of respect for Lewis Hamilton, but that he doesn't think sports is the place for activism.

He talks about this in the Starting Grid podcast of Motorsport-Total.com.

"I've expressed my opinion on this before, and I was criticized for that," Andretti said.

"I don't like politics in sports. The nice thing about the Olympics is that delegations from all over the world come together. They're all the same and they all have the same goal, regardless of your background."

He believes that this international nature is similar to Formula 1, and therefore the focus should be on the sport and not on political messages.

"When you get politics involved it creates divisions. If you say something that is slightly questionable, the discussions immediately start," Andretti continued.

"I don't think it should be mixed together. Formula 1 has to remain a pure sport. We all have our values, but I don't think we should impose our own agenda."