Lewis Hamilton is finally spilling the beans on why he started the Hamilton Commission. As F1’s first and only Black racer, Lewis Hamilton is frequently vocal about the need for inclusion in motorsports and allied areas. To further propel this mission, the Briton has started the Hamilton Commission. In a recent interview, the Mercedes man revealed the origin of this initiative.
Launched in June 2020, the Hamilton Commission is the Mercedes racer’s brainchild. He even got help from the Royal Academy of Engineering for this initiative. It conducted thorough research into every aspect of Formula 1 for ten months. Then, the commissioners gave 10 recommendations for the sport of F1 to drive Black participation. Before the 104 Grand Prix winner, no other racer had ever paid any heed to the glowering problem of lack of representation in F1. But having experienced humiliation and discrimination for his skin color himself, Hamilton claims he always knew he had to do something about it.
The world often views Formula 1 as a closed-off sport that is exclusive to the European aristocrats. Lewis Hamilton wants to shatter this image and open the doors of F1 to every interested individual, no matter their skin color or their gender. Speaking on his experience being the root of the formation of the Hamilton Commission, he said in his UBS interview, “I’ve always been someone that’s stood up and really gone against the grain. I had a lot of kickbacks over the years. In doing what you think is right, often, the kickback is quite brutal, quite painful.”
Lewis recollected some experiences from five years ago that made him decide to start the Hamilton Commission. He further continued, “Where I really, really had had enough was 2019. Every year I’d been looking at the team pictures at the end of the season and you zoom in and there’s literally nobody of color and it’s all men and very, very, very few women. I was just so frustrated. I wanted to shout out, so that’s when I came up with doing the Hamilton Commission.”
The initiative garnered huge prominence, since it is being spearheaded by one of the top F1 racers of all time. Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali took note of the recommendations put forward by the Commission. So, what did the Italian say about incorporating the changes in the pinnacle of motorsports?
Stefano Domenicali left an “impressive” remark for the Hamilton Commission
When Lewis Hamilton put together a one-of-a-kind commission to address the cracks in F1’s representation status, Stefano Domenicali noticed it. The Italian went through the recommendations that the organization had made. Then, he spoke about how Lewis Hamilton’s devotion to the cause gets reflected in his document, explaining, “The Hamilton Commission has delivered a comprehensive and impressive report that shows the passion Lewis has for this very important issue.
Domenicali further talked about the vision he has for Formula 1’s new inclusive era. He said, “We want a sport that is representative of our hugely diverse fan base and that is why Formula 1, the FIA, and all the teams are working hard to deliver on our detailed plans to create positive change across the sport.” Ever since then, some new programmes aimed at inclusivity have started in F1, such as the F1 Academy for female racers. However, there are still no Black racers in the F1 scene apart from Lewis Hamilton.
In the upcoming F1 season, Lewis Hamilton will move to Ferrari, giving rise to a big question – whether the Scuderia will support his philanthropic initiatives like Mercedes has been doing. But, perhaps, the Briton would never sign up to drive for the Maranello outfit if they hadn’t agreed to support the causes that he is passionate about. Hence, Hamilton’s initiatives must be in safe hands, no matter the team he shifts to. Do you think the Silver Arrows racer is using his platform correctly to speak for causes close to his heart?
