F1 News

Lewis Hamilton on diversity within Formula 1

Hamilton unhappy with team composition: 'Change is needed'

3 December 2023 at 15:00

Lewis Hamilton is heavily involved in equality and representation within Formula 1. For example, he has championed the Black Lives Matter movement and set up Mission 44. Although the sport has moved forward in his view, we are not there yet.

Mission 44 is a non-profit foundation that supports bold organisations, leaders and ideas to reshape the future and empower young people from disadvantaged communities. They do this because they believe every young person deserves the chance to flourish, regardless of their background. Hamilton puts a lot of its own money into this.

Too little diversity

For the Briton, his foundation is more important than Formula 1. During the annual team photo in Abu Dhabi, Hamilton was nevertheless once again disappointed by the diversity within the Mercedes team. According to him, there is still a lot of work to do, he said during the pressconference. "I still look and I'm like, damn, we still have so much work to do. There's three people of colour. But there are a lot more women. But still, that needs to shift."

According to Hamilton, there is not yet enough difference in the team composition since 2019. "I'm going to be pretty sure that it's not moved in anywhere near as much as it should have. And so, the challenge is going to see how we shift that. It's just, it's a long slog."