After Lashing Out at FIA for Patriarchy in F1, Lewis Hamilton Hails Susie Wolff’s Uplifting Mission to Promote Equality

As the entire sporting industry moves towards inclusivity and equality, it feels as though Formula 1 has been stagnant in this aspect for many years. For one thing, the sport is yet to witness its first full-time female driver. And even though the hurdles that women face in motorsport are institutional to an extent, the FIA and its archaic standards are acting as bigger impediments than actually making a smooth path for integration. And Lewis Hamilton has had enough.

One such example of this is the fact that the rule books of the FIA don’t include gender-neutral terms. 7x Champion, Hamilton has even called the organization out on it recently. He was quoted as saying, “It doesn’t surprise me. It’s been a men’s club for years, since the day I got here. People probably don’t think it’s important enough to change that. Maybe there’s another side to that story, but it’s certainly not encouraging to to hear.” [translated via Google Translate] But the world of motorsport isn’t all doom and gloom for the Brit.

Lewis Hamilton finds a messiah in the patriarchal world of F1

The Silver Arrows’ talisman was pretty vocal about how patriarchal norms were being pushed from the very organization that governs our sport. However, on the flip side, developments such as the F1 Academy, spearheaded by Susie Wolff, wife to his boss Toto Wolff, give him the assurance that the future of women in this sport is in good hands.

The 38-year-old commended Wolff as he said, “I think it’s been great having Susie in there, who was a phenomenal driver, so has the perspective from a driver side, but also she’s been a team owner. She’s really fighting for that inclusivity. So I think it’s really great the steps that were taken and really happy to hear that all of Formula 1 is on board,” while talking about the Academy.

Read More: Danica Patrick Joins Forces With Lewis Hamilton to Bring Back the Revolutionary Change to F1

But while he trusts Wolff to lead this new series to greatness, he too, wants to champion the cause as much as he can.

Hamilton represents F1’s bid for more female inclusivity

The 7x champion has a huge voice. Naturally, when he puts himself to a cause, the metric of awareness and support is unparalleled. That’s exactly why, while welcoming the news that the F1 Academy will become a support series to the sport next year, he took the opportunity to take this new category under his wings.

Formula1.com quoted him as saying, “First and foremost, I want to thank the Formula 1 teams for their support and vision as we embark on this journey together.This landmark moment not only demonstrates the depth of support for F1 Academy from across the F1 community but will inspire a whole generation of young girls to realise the opportunities both on and off track in motorsport.”

“As we join the F1 calendar for next year and host F1 Academy Discover Your Drive events in the lead up to our races, I am confident that we will have a positive impact across our sport in the long term.”

Is the F1 Academy really going to produce our first-ever female F1 driver?

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