Hamilton content with fan diversity, but admits: 'Sport access is not easy'
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton has long advocated for diversity in Formula 1 and remains committed to driving change at his new team. Speaking at a Ferrari fan event last Tuesday, the seven-time world champion acknowledged the diversity among fans but emphasised that the sport still has significant progress to make. The Brit also expressed his preference for Formula 1 to adopt sustainable internal combustion engines in the future.
On Tuesday evening, a special event was scheduled in the heart of Milan. During a Q&A session, Italian fans could meet Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. During this session, Hamilton addressed the topic of diversity. "It's really, it’s very diverse, with an audience from all over the world, but access to and opportunity to the actual sport is really quite—it’s not easy for people from different backgrounds to get in," Hamilton began.
It’s no surprise that this topic came up during the fan session, given how important it is to Hamilton. The Ferrari driver has been vocal about the lack of diversity in Formula 1 for years. Through his own initiative, Mission 44, he continues to push for greater inclusion—not just in motorsport, but beyond it as well. "We were founded by Seven Time Formula One World Champion Sir Lewis Hamilton, whose upbringing and experience as the only person of colour in his field have left him determined to take action." the Mission 44 site reads.
The future of Formula 1
The seven-time world champion also spoke about the future of the sport, particularly the evolution of Formula 1 cars. "I’m hoping that in 20 years time, we still have great races, we have great sounding cars still, I hope they’re not like fully electric, but just sustainable V10s maybe, or sustainable V12s, that’s like carbon neutral or something like that," Hamilton concluded.
The Ferrrai driver is less than two weeks away from his first race start with the Scuderia. The opening round of the Formula 1 season takes place on the weekend of 16 March.
This article was written in collaboration with Kim Hoefnagel
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