The sport of Formula 1 has been decorated with trailblazers and icons. Willy T. Ribbs is no stranger to this. The now 68-year-old became the first African-American to ever be strapped into a Formula 1 car. Back in 1986, he made history in Estoril when he tested for Bernie Ecclestone‘s Brabham team. Since then, he’s gone on to become a spokesperson for equality and diversity in F1 and the wider motorsport community. Recently, he spoke about one of the sport’s biggest legends, Lewis Hamilton.
F1 has always been a white-dominated sport. Ribbs became the first African-American to debut in an F1 car and then came Lewis Hamilton. Naturally, there are parallels to be drawn between the experiences they went through.
While Ribbs set the benchmark, Hamilton has gone on to forge a legacy. The seven-time champion has been the center of attention, on and off the track. That being said, for Ribbs, Hamilton’s meteoric ascension to the very zenith of the sport has a striking resemblance to the men who have broken the mold and changed the course of history, the present, and the future.
In an interview with The Independent, Ribbs explained, “If you can equate it to Tiger Woods, what did Tiger Woods do for golf? He broadened the audience. The attention went off the chart. That’s exactly what happened in F1 – Lewis Hamilton has been Formula One’s Tiger Woods.”
He elaborated, “Lewis Hamilton, after seven world titles and more victories than any other human being, gets unfairly targeted.”
Lewis Hamilton has never had it easy
During Hamilton’s schooldays, he was often subjected to bullying and discrimination on account of his color. He was revealed on the ‘On Purpose’ with Jay Shetty podcast (as quoted by CNN), “The constant jabs, the things that are either thrown at you, like bananas, or people that would use the N-word just so relaxed. People calling you half-caste and not knowing where you fit in. That was difficult,” while talking about his time at school and being bullied.
Hamilton was always a minority and was treated differently for it. He narrated a commonplace occurrence at school were he said, “In my [secondary] school, there were six or seven Black kids out of 1,200 kids, and three of us were put outside the headmasters’ office all the time. I felt the system was up against me and I was swimming against the tide.”
But the Mercedes star hasn’t let adversity bring him down. Adding to his undisputed status as one of the greatest drivers this sport has ever seen, he’s gone onto fight to ensure that no one faces the disdain that he has. He has setup his charitable institution, Mission 44 with that exclusive goal in mind.
