Lewis Hamilton is the only black driver on the F1 grid and has been using his platform extensively to spread awareness about the social injustice going around the world. During an interview with the Sunday Times, the seven-time world champion revealed how George Floyd’s death affected him and pushed him to use his presence to raise his voice against it.
Hamilton mentioned how despite having achieved all the success in F1, he felt incomplete and realized that there was much wrongdoing around the globe, but felt he couldn’t speak about the same. However, it all changed when Floyd was murdered by police officer Derek Chauvin when being arrested for suspected use of counterfeit money.
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Hamilton said, “The cork popped. It had me on my knees in tears, all this emotion came out. It was such a strange experience because I don’t remember crying since I was really young. I knew that I’d had enough, I really needed to speak out.”
“There are people who are staying silent, people who feel voiceless and I have this platform. Winning championships is an amazing thing, but what are you doing with it? What are you doing with your time on this planet?”, he added.
As Hamilton asked these questions to himself, the realization of standing up for injustice hit him. The Briton spearheaded and fought inequality as F1 introduced the “We Race as One” campaign. Hamilton wore the “Black Lives Matter” t-shirt on the grid, took a knee, and was vocal about social issues in his interviews.
The Mercedes driver has since then asked the FIA to promote diversity on the grid and help people of color, different backgrounds, and genders to grow in the world of motorsports. Although a change has been made, Hamilton suggests there is still a long way to go.
Hamilton’s ventures to promote and support people of different backgrounds
The Briton set up the Hamilton Commission Initiative in collaboration with the Royal Academy of Engineering to increase the representation of Black people in UK motorsports. The Briton reviewed the lack of diversity in the end-of-season photo in 2019 and decided to set up the initiative.
Hamilton also set up the Mission 44 charity that is “working to build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world”. The charity aims to build an education system where every young person gets the support to succeed.
Hamilton also took the step to help black people when he wore an outfit designed by lesser-known black designers to the Met Gala. During the 2024 Met Gala, Hamilton wore an outfit inspired by the story of Britain’s first Black gardener John Ystumllyn.
