“Unfairly Targeted” Lewis Hamilton Gets Crowned the ‘Tiger Woods of F1′

“Unfairly Targeted” Lewis Hamilton Gets Crowned the ‘Tiger Woods of F1'

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.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Willy T Ribbs

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

Don’t miss these