Lewis Hamilton remains committed to increasing diversity in Formula 1, but notes significant work still needs to be done
Lewis Hamilton has reiterated his disappointment with the lack of diversity in Formula 1, particularly within his Mercedes team. Despite his efforts with The Hamilton Commission and Mission 44, Hamilton notes minimal progress in diversity, as he mentions in the latest Mercedes team photo.
Lewis Hamilton, a trailblazer in Formula 1 for both his on-track achievements and off-track activism, has once again highlighted the pressing issue of diversity in the sport.
This weekend’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix marked an introspective moment for Hamilton, reflecting on the four-year journey since a 2019 team photo inspired him to establish The Hamilton Commission, and later Mission 44, both aimed at improving the representation of people of colour in motorsport and empowering under-represented youth.
However, the recent Mercedes team photo at the Yas Marina circuit has left Hamilton feeling that the efforts in promoting diversity have not yet yielded the results he was hoping for.
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“It’s more important for me [than any on-track achievements],” Hamilton remarked. “Honestly, it’s been a long process. It started really here in 2019. I’m not going to lie. We just did a team photo and I still look and I’m like, ‘Damn, we still have so much work to do’.
“There’s three people of colour, for example. But there are a lot more women. But still, that needs to shift.”
Reflecting further on the lack of progress since 2019, Hamilton said:
“If I contrast that to 2019, I’m going to be pretty sure that it’s not moved anywhere near as much as it should have. So, the challenge is to see how we shift that.”
Hamilton’s initiatives have been primarily focused on the younger generations.
“But the work that I’m doing is really targeting kids and creating a future pipeline,” he said.
“It starts from grassroots. So, it’s been really great to see finally the team coming together and starting to see that we’re starting to have a real impact. That makes me really proud.
“When we’re in Austin, you had the kids come, all the young women come. When we were in the UK, we had a real diverse group of kids come.
“It was really cool to be able to be in the position, in a seat, to be able to open up the door for these kids to see what is possible, spark interest and create dreams that they perhaps never thought it was possible.
