Apart from pushing the need for diversity, Lewis Hamilton has also been an advocate for sustainability and climate change. But when you race for a living, you will be labelled as a hypocrite for taking a stance against a subject you make a living out of.
Although F1 has pushed towards becoming an environment-friendly sport, it is still far from it. This year alone the sport will travel to 23 destinations across 20 countries, putting a massive strain on emissions.
The sport has however committed to reducing car emissions and using biofuel as a substitute. But that is far from it says Lewis as there should be more investment in sustainability from the sport.
Lewis Hamilton opens up about the need for difficult conversations on sustainability
Lewis Hamilton believes the F1 teams and the sport as a whole must work proactively to curb their emissions. Especially in today’s day and age when climate change has become a matter of concern.
The Briton brought to attention how much each race weekend sets back F1’s carbon footprint. It all starts with improving the travel and logistics, consumption of energy and taste involved in F1’s mammoth 23-race calendar.
Lewis said, “I started looking at my life and the impact I was having on the planet. And I wondered “How I can leave the planet in a better place than I found it?” And that’s how I realised we need more people to invest in these technologies.”
He added, “It’s a huge circus, going to 23 races in a year with 100 people per team. Hundreds of Thousands of people turn up to races and there’s a large amount of waste and travel involved. And we’re looking at ways how we can offset that.”
The 7x World Champion believes everyone in the sport must need to have this difficult conversation in order to spark change. And this only happens when everyone is held accountable and there is a sense of responsibility from all the participants of the sport.
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Hamilton pushes F1 CEO on sustainability measures
Lewis Hamilton himself takes sustainability pretty seriously. He has adopted a plant-based diet with the motto of reducing his carbon footprint in mind. Nor does he use any single-use plastics.
He even shared that Mercedes have taken steps towards a greener future. The racer revealed Mercedes have reduced their travel emissions by 50% by using biofuels. The Silver Arrows are currently working on powering their Brackley and Brixworth using Solar power.
Lewis confirmed he has spoken with F1 CEO Stefano Dominicallin about supporting the sports endeavours of going green. And using the platform to spread the information to broader audiences.
F1 has also committed itself to achieve Net Zero Carbon emissions by 2030. The sport plans on moving entirely to sustainable fuels and improving its calendar in order to not strain the logistical and transportation networks.
