Dwyane Wade famously left Miami along with his family in March 2022 as a response to his issues with Florida’s recent LGBTQIA+ laws. Around a year later, his friend, legendary F1 driver Lewis Hamilton followed in his footsteps, according to an interview with The Associated Press.

Credits: USA Today Sports

Speaking before competing in the Miami Grand Prix back in May 2023, Hamilton compared the experience with racing in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and claimed he planned to have a rainbow on his helmet.

“It’s not good at all. I stand by those within the community here. I hope they continue to stand firm and push back. I’ll have the rainbow on my helmet. It’s no different to when we were in Saudi [Arabia],” he said, referencing the several ‘questionable’ laws that have been enacted by the state in recent times.

This includes the expansion of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act, which banned schools from using a child’s preferred pronouns if they had been allotted a different gender at the time of birth. The act also allows parents to challenge textbooks and classroom material that they think might contain ‘pornographic or inappropriate conduct. The state also banned gender-affirming care for trans minors, which led to a stern statement by Hamilton.

Hamilton claimed that he did not agree with the recent decisions, stating that the decisions made by the government effectively alienated people. “I really do continue to stand with the LGBTQ community and I’m wearing a rainbow flag on my helmet this weekend and I just really want to continue to support the community here and let them know I stand with them and I hope they continue to fight against it,” he said, outlining his commitment to support the cause.

Of course, Dwyane Wade, who feared the safety of his trans teenage daughter, Zaya, also sang a similar tune in 2022. Dwyane Wade’s family moved out of their $22,000,000 mansion in Miami, as the Heat superstar also cited the recently enacted laws.

Dwyane Wade and Lewis Hamilton have been long-term friends

It appears as though thoughts on political issues related to LGBTQIA+ rights are not the only thing that Wade and Lewis Hamilton have in common. The two have been friends for several years, and are obvious legends in their respective sports.

Recently in September, Wade shared details of the kind of friendship the two share. He revealed that the two shared a jet-ski a few years ago, and things did not end well for the Heat legend.

Wade was initially driving the jet-ski, with Lewis Hamilton sitting merrily in the backseat. However, Hamilton soon took over the controls, leading to him showing off the kind of speed F1 fans are all too familiar with. The result was that Wade hilariously ended up being scared for his life. Given how astronomically high the speed likely was though, it is hard to blame him.

Regardless, the jet-ski incident is not the only evidence of their longstanding friendship. Wade and his wife Gabrielle Union have previously vacationed with Hamilton as well, and are regularly spotted at his races to cheer on their friend.