Lewis Hamilton Calls Out F1 Over its Lack of Diversity in the Sport

During an interview with Corriere della Sera, Lewis Hamilton spoke about being in Formula One. He even brough up an age-old issue that plagued his F1 career for years. The interviewer noted that Hamilton is the first ever dark-skinned Formula 1 driver, and the only one so far.

In response, Hamilton confessed, “The truth is that it was incredibly hard for me to break into this industry. I wish I could say it was better today but if anything, I think the situation is worse than ever before. Motor racing is so expensive that working class and lower income brackets are excluded from the outset.”

Has Lewis Hamilton ever felt conscious about his skin colour?

Last year, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff claimed that Lewis Hamilton was racially abused as a child. According to the Austrian, the six-time F1 world champion continues to carry those scars to this day. As per Wolff, the prejudice that Hamilton received in the junior karting ranks largely shaped his psychological make-up.

“When Lewis was younger, he was the only black kid among the white kids, and I know he was racially abused on the track,” Wolff said. “If that happens to an eight-year-old, or a 10-year-old, it just leaves scars that will not go away. If as a child, you have to had to overcome abuse discrimination, on one side it makes you a stronger personality. But on the other it also leaves scars. Today, Lewis has a good and mature perspective, but the scars are certainly there. Those scars are a witness of having survived.”

The good news is that he has managed to channel any sort of anger into his driving and shut all his doubters up. In fact, six Formula One world championships is more than enough proofof his prowess behind the wheel.