Lewis Hamilton has had one of the most legendary careers in the history of F1. While the sixteen years of his career have seen him become one of the most celebrated and accomplished drivers on the grid, the beginning of his career was far from optimal. The Briton racer had to fend off a lot of negativity owing to his racial background and deal with it alone. Now standing at the top of his field, the 38-year-old wants to use the platform to become the guiding light for people who face similar incidents. The latest name on the list of such people is the USF Pro 2000 champion, Myles Rowe.
During an interview with YouTuber Jay Shetty early in the year, Hamilton opened up about his struggles and how facing them made him feel more liberated. The 7-time world champion said he lives much more fearlessly now that he has embraced his vulnerabilities, and in doing so, he believes he has become much more relatable with the common man. Hamilton also added that if he can face his fears and defeat them alone, anyone can. And the latest achievement by Rowe might just be a manifestation of the Briton’s words.
Lewis Hamilton played a crucial role in Myles Rowe’s victory
A few days ago, 23-year-old Myles Rowe created history by becoming the first Black driver to win an open-wheel single-seater championship. The American driver clinched the USF Pro 2000 title and will join HMD Motorsports for the Indy NXT series in 2024. Upon hearing the news, Hamilton was one of the first people to congratulate the young driver for his achievements over social media. When asked about Hamilton’s motivation, Rowe admitted the Briton has impacted his career.
“Certainly, Lewis Hamilton has had that impact. Even here in this country, when a lot of kids – especially black kids – don’t know anything about racing, when they see Myles, it means something.”
“It’s extremely important for me because when I was a kid, looking at Lewis, he was breaking all the records.”
“Lewis does his thing for blacks in Europe, in F1, and all over the world, but it’s really cool that Americans seem to be really proud of this title.”
While Hamilton’s efforts have had far-reaching implications, his own sport is yet to feel the effects of a wider target audience. The Briton has been hard at work in trying to inspire more Black people to take up motorsports as their full-time careers but hasn’t had much success.
Hamilton remains the only Black driver in F1
Popular Netflix series ‘Drive to Survive’ conducted a poignant interview with Hamilton addressing his involvement in F1. They asked Hamilton what it was like for him to be the only Black driver on the grid for the last sixteen years. In response, the Briton said he sometimes wonders why he is the only Black driver on the grid even after so many years. Hamilton has not only been in F1 for years but has also dominated the sport for the better part of his career.
F1 drivers displayed T-shirts carrying the message “End Racism” at the Austrian Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton, the sport’s only Black driver, wore a T-shirt with the message “Black Lives Matter.”
Before the Austrian national anthem, 14 of them took a knee and six remained standing. pic.twitter.com/x9eIFu6jbZ
— ESPN (@espn) July 5, 2020
He recalled growing up on his dad’s couch while his mother worked multiple jobs to keep a roof over his and his sisters’ head. The fear of not fitting in and always being bullied bubbled up inside him and created the man he is today, says Hamilton. The 38-year-old wants to use his success and platform to be the voice of change and has made huge strides in that direction.
