Lewis Hamilton says that his race has been the biggest obstacle he’s faced throughout his motorsport career.
Hamilton, who made his Formula 1 debut in 2007, has become the most successful driver the sport has ever seen with over 100 grand prix wins, almost 200 podiums and seven world titles.
In recent years, he has been an advocate for black representation and increasing diversity within workplaces.
In 2020, he set up the Hamilton Commission which found the proportion of black people in Formula 1 to be less than 1 per cent.
His Mercedes team has also pledged to increase its diversity through a programme called Accelerate 25, with 38 per cent of new starters at the team in 2021 coming from under-represented groups.
Appearing on the BBC One documentary series We Are England, Hamilton opened up on the difficulty he has faced regarding his race.
“I think the biggest difficulties were the difference in race, being the only person of colour at the track apart from my dad,” Hamilton said.
“There’s a lack of diversity through the top of big, big organisations, companies, all the way down.
“There’s very, very little black leadership so I put this commission together to find out what those barriers are for young under-served communities trying to get into this sport.”
The journey for many young competitors ends early due to a lack of budget, with the racing ladder being notably expensive.
Hamilton says he hopes companies will get behind drivers from under-represented backgrounds to give them a chance to succeed.
“Well the problem with our sport is it is expensive,” he said. “But there are a lot of people out there today, companies that are looking at improving diversity and inclusion.
“There’s a lot of companies out there that want to be partnered with the right message.
“It’s not just what you do on track, but it’s also how you present yourself. How you handle yourself when you lose.”
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