Despite this initiative, as well as the various efforts of the FIA and Formula 1’s We Race as One initiative, Hamilton thinks there has been a lack of genuine diversity progress in the four years since the photoshoot. He argues that visible examples such as himself and other drivers of colour do not reflect the full spectrum of people employed in the sport.
“What really struck me was the people who were making the cars, designing the cars, aerodynamicists and strategists, and people in the media, it was so far away from being diverse and I didn’t really understand why,” Hamilton said.
The British driver argues that the image of a “sea of white” in this year’s Mercedes team photo highlights that despite the efforts of The Hamilton Commission and his own foundation, Formula 1 is still failing to change.
“There were a few changes, but it was still a sea of white,” he said. “There is still a real lack of diversity within the team environment and within the actual teams.”
Hamilton, who is the sport’s only Black driver, says he wants to know more about what is being done within the teams and the FIA to change their diversity.
Nevertheless, Hamilton believes his work over the past few years will have an impact in the long-term and has urged Formula 1 to accelerate its efforts to make progress.
He feels that there will be a moment when the work in the junior series and at grass-roots level starts to have an impact on the make-up of F1 teams.
“I want the sport to look different in 20 years time,” he said. “That’s why we are working on Mission 44, we are working in Formula 2, Formula 3, Formula 4. Sooner or later it will trickle down and filter through.
Hamilton’s comments come at a time when F1 is again having to defend itself over its record of diversity, with the vast majority of roles across the paddock being filled by white men. While the official line is that the sport is making efforts behind the scenes to drive change, the latest team photo from Mercedes has done little to dispel Hamilton’s concerns.
As a seven-time world champion, the British driver has made it clear that having a visible impact on F1 is an important legacy he wants to leave behind. Although he knows that the younger generations currently starting out in karting are the ones that he is really trying to inspire, his desire to see the paddock change is evident.
“I’m just trying to work to see how I can be most effective,” he said. “That means starting with the younger generation. So, that could be going to a go-kart race. It could be going to a grassroots race. It could be talking to kids and working with them.
“There’s no way it’s going to change quickly. It’s going to be a long slog. But I want to look back and see a more diverse sport.”
Hamilton said that while he is really trying to inspire, his desire to see the paddock change is evident.
“I’m just trying to work to see how I can be most effective,” he said. “That means starting with the younger generation. So, that could be going to a go-kart race. It could be going to a grassroots race. It could be talking to kids and working with them.
“There’s no way it’s going to change quickly. It’s going to be a long slog. But I want to look back and see a more diverse sport.”
Hamilton said that while he would not necessarily call out the individuals in charge, he was aware that, ultimately, the responsibility to change things had to lie with the top of the sport.
“It’s not about calling anybody out,” he said. “We’re all part of the problem. But if you’re at the top, you’re a bigger part of the problem.
“I think it’s on all of us to be pushing harder, and pushing harder for change. We’re here. We’re celebrating diversity this weekend. But we’re still miles away from where we should be.
