Lewis Hamilton has been experiencing racism and discrimination since his formative years. Be it at the go-kart track or in his school, the Briton has suffered a lot and even had to go through depression because of the same. In recent years, he has used his platform as a seven-time F1 world champion to stand against racism and eradicate it from society as much as he can.
In a Q&A session on Mercedes’ YouTube channel, which mainly included questions from school kids, Hamilton answered one question about his motivation to stand against discrimination. He recalled his bad experiences from his school days and the karting tracks which was the primary stimulus for him.
When a young Lewis Hamilton spoke about the racism he faced in the karting world.
(via lewis hamilton/IG) pic.twitter.com/uU3ex02rRM
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 29, 2022
The 39-year-old said, “I think already from the age of like 5 or 6, I remember already experiencing it when I was at school. Being one of the only black kids there”. Hamilton added, “I think ultimately, I’d had enough. And I knew that there would be other people out there experiencing something similar or way worse.”
The seven-time world champion has been a vocal advocate in the paddock, promoting diversity and inclusion and backing it up with action. Beyond spreading messages through his #BlackLivesMatter T-shirts and displaying the LGBTQ+ flag on his helmet, Hamilton has launched initiatives aimed at increasing diversity within the sport.
The Mercedes driver staunchly supports the promotion of the F1 Academy, which is an all-female racing series, providing a development opportunity for young girls wanting to race in F1 someday.
Hamilton‘s initiatives towards diversity and empowering people from different backgrounds go beyond F1 too.
Hamilton’s off-track initiatives
Mission 44 is one of Hamilton’s ambitious projects aimed at enabling young underprivileged kids to get quality education in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. It is all about students getting access to educational resources and getting good opportunities despite not having a good financial background.
Hamilton has been very proactive about gathering support for this initiative via donations, so they can provide grants to students who wish to learn more and explore their talents. In 2022-23, they received over $14 million worth of donations and awarded grants worth $4.5 million.
Hamilton aims to develop a new generation of engineers and technicians through this program, encouraging them to pursue careers in F1 or motorsport in general. It’s a remarkable initiative by the 39-year-old, creating tangible opportunities to positively impact young people’s lives, regardless of their background or status.
