Lewis Hamilton has called on Ferrari and other Formula 1 teams to “hold themselves accountable” to improve diversity within their organisations.
The world champion has previously announced the creation of The Hamilton Commission to promote diversity within motor sport. Following widespread anti-racism protests resulting from the killing of George Floyd in May, Formula 1 launched its pro-diversity ‘#WeRaceAsOne’ initiative.Hamilton’s Mercedes team has also announced a new programme to make its workforce more diverse and repainted its F1 cars in an all-black livery carrying the message ‘end racism’.
Formula 1 drivers participated in another show of support for anti-racism ahead of today’s Styrian Grand Prix, many of which ‘took a knee’. Speaking after his victory in the race, Hamilton explained how he has been working to promote diversity within the sport and why he believes there is more progress to be made.
“I think ultimately Formula 1, yes they’ve taken a step forward, but there’s absolutely more they can do,” he said.
“Whilst we’ve seen Red Bull’s mechanics take a knee, which I think is great. But publicly as businesses, and as teams, if you look at Ferrari who have thousands of people working with them, I’ve heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable and this is what they’re going to do for their future.
“We need the teams to do that. And we need Formula 1 and the FIA to be more leading I think in those scenarios say ‘hey guys, all of us together, everyone needs to pull together and fight for this so we can improve’.
“I think a lot of people don’t know what the problem is. Some people deny there is a problem. And that’s ultimately why I put this commission together. Because everyone has their opinion but I really want to get to the bottom of it so when we’re putting money into towards something, we know it’s going to change it the root cause. That’s the goal.”
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GtisBetter (@)
12th July 2020, 21:23
They clearly have been working on more diversity as they created the W-series.
GtisBetter (@)
12th July 2020, 21:24
FIA that is
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
12th July 2020, 22:19
@passingisoverrated W Series wasn’t “created” by the FIA – they sanction it but they didn’t set it up.
GtisBetter (@)
13th July 2020, 6:17
Ahh, I see.
Tristan (@skipgamer)
13th July 2020, 3:57
Yep, why can’t we have a B-series? Oh wat, that’s RaAaCiIiSsSt, but a W-series isn’t SexXxIsSt because that’s promoting diversity…
Double, triple standards all round.
The way to fix the problem is invest in cheap racing from a young age, teach it in schools and have it as an olympic contest with standardised parts, then there will be motivation from national governments to invest in order to compete.
Aapje (@aapje)
13th July 2020, 6:20
@skipgamer
Come on, you’re not supposed to suggest solutions that make the sport more accessible for everyone. Please stick with the proven (to fail) empty gestures or demand for overt racism.
bob (@riptide)
13th July 2020, 8:26
So are you saying you support the Hamilton Commission which is putting money into researching these issues and engaging the Royal Academy of Engineers to front it; or you consider that to be an empty gesture,
SadF1fan
13th July 2020, 9:05
All of identity politics is empty.
Coz it keeps focusing on identity, not on talent, education, poverty, healthcare, nutrition, and environment.
Identity politics is the modern version of bread and games during the largest health and upcoming financial crisis of a generation.
Jan
13th July 2020, 12:55
Well I assume he is referring to blacks because Ferrari has Brits in management positions, French and German and soon to be Spanish drivers, and women who accompany drivers for interviews etc.
There isn’t exactly a large pool of blacks in F1 or in the racing sport itself so he makes little sense which seems to be more and more typical of him.
Of course a possible solution is to start a program to encourage and support blacks and other minority’s (yes there are other minorities) who are interested in getting into the racing world.
I think the issue here is Red has never shown interest in Hamilton and he may thinks It’s due to racism. I think it’s more due to his arrogance as was evident in the year he entered F1 and even more so immaturity. Schuey he is not.
And there isn’t a lot of diversity in the Merc garage so perhaps he should include them.
Eric (@fletch)
12th July 2020, 21:39
Has F1 ever been more diverse as it is now?
Jack (@jackisthestig)
12th July 2020, 23:13
It’s never employed as many people as it does now but that will be changing with the introduction of the budget cap. It does seem a little distasteful criticising teams for a lack of diversity across their workforce when there are going to be hundreds of redundancies across F1 in the near future.
Barry Bens (@barryfromdownunder)
12th July 2020, 21:42
>I’ve heard no word of Ferrari saying that they hold themselves accountable
Ah yes Lewis, because one needs to specifically state something before you think it’s good enough.
Can’t wait till this guy leaves F1, thinks he’s the emperor of the earth that can guildtrip people into anything.
Mog
12th July 2020, 22:27
Is it guilt or bullying via media?
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
13th July 2020, 22:43
Bullying. Plain, clear and simple. No question.
What about the machinists, designers, engineers, materials and fabrication specialists …. all positions based entirely on merit, experience and raw talent. Oh yes, and a competitive drive with a willingness to work for less than what you would likely get in other industries.
My bet is the teams don’t care who you are or the color of your epidermis, can you do a better job than everyone else … Hired.
Geo
12th July 2020, 23:45
Agreed he’s become an utter bore.
Hamilton “Ferrari please fire 10% of your white workforce and hire black people in their place to meet a quota”
Sounds like racism to me!
Mr KJ Baxter
13th July 2020, 0:37
sounds like South Africa!
Crikey, surely it is best person that gets the job, whether, white, black, yellow, man, woman, transgender, and gets along with the team. Surely the teams want to win, and they therefore hire they think is best for the role.
Again, bringing politics into a sport that has enough of its internal politics, it does not need anymore. I watch F1 for the dramas on track, the influence of any racing driver, not just Lewis, will not change my views on anything, they and their opinion on things other than F1 is not held in high enough regard to influence me on my views, my food preferences, my haircuts, my clothing, or my preferred alcohol, or anything, and hopefully most other fans are the same.
regs (@regs)
13th July 2020, 5:54
Especially when 95% of Italian population are Italian. Black are just around 1,5% with most of them likely are not permanent residents.
DC
13th July 2020, 1:00
F1 teams experience a bit of turnover. No need to terminate someone to fill a quota. It might be hard to find diverse candidates, but it takes intent in order to achieve any goal. Stating that intention is the very least thing any of these companies could do.
I don’t like throwing around ‘racism’; There’s a deeply-rooted animal instinct to be wary/distrustful of the unfamiliar. One of humanities virtues is the ability to recognize and act against our instincts. It’s well known that once a group reaches a particular percentage of representation, the animal instinct considers them ‘normal’.
Ferrari can do whatever they like, but I think it’s also valid to call them out on it. It’s not like their current policy is giving them any particular advantage….
CC
13th July 2020, 3:06
Some say “GOAT”, others say “weasel”.
regs (@regs)
13th July 2020, 6:08
He should also criticize NBA and NFL for lack of diversity. But how did it happen that in the country presumably of white dominance NBA and NFL happened to have over 70% black players?
Ash (@captainap)
13th July 2020, 14:23
To quickly shutdown this nonsense with the nba and nfl….. all the owners of these teams and franchises are white, the promoters, the sponsors, so you need to speak with the white owners who sign the black players
pt747 (@pt747)
12th July 2020, 21:54
Maybe Lewis should do some research before speaking.
Ferrari’s diversity policy: https://corporate.ferrari.com/sites/ferrari15ipo/files/fnv_diversity_policy.pdf – effective since Dec 2017.
Took me about 10 secs on Google.
He really is beginning to make himself look a little silly.
DC
13th July 2020, 1:17
It’s nice that Ferrari has a diversity policy for their Board of Directors. I didn’t find one for the rest of the company.
A) They’ve done well appointing women to their board, so that’s nice.
B) The nationalities of their board members should be consistent with their markets/customers, if I read between the lines. It’ll give you a chuckle.
LH isn’t wrong.
David (@nvherman)
13th July 2020, 7:10
Are you making the mistake of conflating nationality with race?
The two are not the same.
Jack (@jackisthestig)
12th July 2020, 21:56
The other teams have more pressing issues to worry about, mostly survival or in Ferrari’s case getting out of the midfield. The only reason one single team has spoken about this is to keep their amazing talent but pain in the backside driver happy.
Depailler
12th July 2020, 22:00
Yes Ferrari have a policy but are their workforce really that diverse?
Great that Hamilton continues to push on this.
Daniele
12th July 2020, 22:18
I don’t think it is a good idea for any team to hire an engineer just because she or he’s black, but to hire the best engineer available for that position be she or he black white yellow or whatever color. Keep in mind that Italy has not the same percentage of black people you find in other countries like USA or France.
Pironi the Provocateur (@pironitheprovocateur)
12th July 2020, 22:27
I don’t get the obsession with “diversity” in certain cases, and this is one of them. Some countries are more homogenous than others and Ferrari employs mainly Italians. Is it your business to racially or ethnically profile their employees and decide when they are up to your ideals? Some people need to drop their pseudomoral mask from time to time.
medman (@medman)
12th July 2020, 23:53
Maybe that’s Ferrari’s problem, because when they were winning with Schumacher, they had Ross Brawn, Jean Todt, and Rory Byrne leading the way.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
13th July 2020, 1:03
@medman
They have Laurent Mekies (sporting director), Jock Clear (track operations) , Inaki Rueda (chief strategist), David Sanchez (Chief Aerodynamics) and two non Italian drivers (Vettel & Leclerc).
In the Schumacher era Luca Di Montezemolo was responsible for recruiting the people you’ve mentioned and Paolo Martinelli was in charge of the engine department.
Tommy C (@tommy-c)
13th July 2020, 0:50
Is this Lewis’ way of opening the door to a Ferrari drive…?
Chuck
13th July 2020, 15:51
Ain’t going to happen. They never wanted him. He needs to face the fact he will never wear red and it bothers him a lot evidently. Mercedes isn’t glamorous enough to fulfill his gigantic ego. Too bad!
OOliver
12th July 2020, 22:28
Right now I think Ferrari just needs some more speed.
melanos
12th July 2020, 22:33
Ok Lewis, you are free to flagelate us with your sanctimonious homilies, nowadays I only listen to what Kimi has to say.
medman (@medman)
12th July 2020, 23:50
Six championships to one. Listen to what you may, but that speaks volumes in and of itself. Swing and a miss by you.
DC
13th July 2020, 0:04
Does a championship makes him morally superior, more than you, for example? How quick you are to bend your knee at Hamilton’s will.
medman (@medman)
13th July 2020, 19:05
Said the guy who claims to be interested only in what Kimi has to say, which is precisely nothing as the guy doesn’t speak. Typical for your kind. The irony is risible.
Mr KJ Baxter
13th July 2020, 0:42
how in hell is the number of championships someone has make them superior away from the track? or would you go and steal a can of baked beans if Hamilton told you to? Kimi with his one championship says in his icy manner “no, I would not recommend this”, but Lewis telling you it is a good idea because it will help the grey bearded swallow of Romania to increase its numbers during nesting season. Pfft.
melanos
13th July 2020, 1:55
Six championships don’t give him or anybody the least bit of authority about what anybody else do with their lives. At least Kimi is amusing oftentimes. The pretensión that I have to choose whom to listen, about matters totally unrelated to driving, based on their number of championships, is unbelievably ridiculous. And I don’t give a f. f. about anything that LH may say or do outside driving his Merc. Last time I checked this was about racing, not the Woke Olympics.
kenji
13th July 2020, 2:29
Well said.
DeanR
13th July 2020, 6:57
Gives him a bigger platform though! I mean you look at the comments on any Hamilton based article on this site. They are always double what you find on any other driver or team. Love him, hate him… doesn’t matter. He’s got you talking and will keep you talking. On a subject like this that’s a big thing.
Sravan Krishnan (@sravan-pe)
13th July 2020, 6:55
of driving ability and speed+reliability of the car being driven (in the most general sense). Nothing more. Thank you.
Dex
12th July 2020, 23:39
Wow, now he gives himself right to hire personnel for other teams too… Sure, diversity, not meritocracy. Let’s hire people over the colour of their skin, that’s what we want XXI century to look like.
Nick (@nick101)
13th July 2020, 2:55
Thats because Hamilton is a sanctimonious racist.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
13th July 2020, 11:52
I’ve read people calling many names- but racist is quite absurd. Tell me- what are your views on these racial relations? Is it wrong to call on teams to do more to be more inclusive of other ethnicities or is that what your problem really is?
Geo
12th July 2020, 23:47
You first Lewis, how about you step asside and let an Asian driver take your place. For ‘diversities’ sake you understand.
Richard C (@rich156)
13th July 2020, 9:27
Ummm, Alex Albon is Thai. Fairly sure that counts as Asia?
Txizzle (@txizzle)
12th July 2020, 23:51
“Hamilton challenges Ferrari and other teams to “hold themselves accountable” over diversity”
Maybe teams should give a **** about the skill of the person they hire, not the background. I’d hire folks to reach a goal, not make it harder than it has to be. If the process towards the goal becomes more diverse while it goes along, great, but don’t make it a main goal by itself. Makes me think of ‘positive discrimination’, which in some sense is just as nonsensical as negative discrimination (although negative discrimination has deeper / more harmful effects of course). If it ends up being done by some teams just to ‘save their *ss’ when it comes to external opinions….too bad we live in a world where this is seemingly necessary.
Broccoliface
12th July 2020, 23:59
Lmao, is this what he means when he said “I didn’t ask/demand teams/drivers to kneel”? By picking what he sees as the main culprit that dares to defy his nonsense and exerting soft-power via his social capital to try and bully them into submission. gg with your left-wing BLM twaddle hammy, I see your game.
Richard C (@rich156)
13th July 2020, 9:31
left-wing BLM twaddle?
You may be mistaking equality for privilege.
DC
13th July 2020, 0:06
That I as for medman
Thecollaroyboys (@thecollaroyboys)
13th July 2020, 0:14
F1 looks pretty diverse to me, there must be people from 100 different countries on the teams, in the factories, in the admin. (This is partly in jest so don’t get your knickers in a knot).
So long as there is diversity of thought and respect for individual opinion/actions I think that would cover most of the pressing issues in F1.
Mr KJ Baxter
13th July 2020, 0:48
and you are right, it is diverse, the fact there is little diversity in colour is of consequence. How many people of colour, any nation, are interested in racing? very few that we see, a proportion of lighter coloured skinned people, so it stands to reason there are less people capable of getting to the pinnacle as well. Lewis knows how well he had to fight to get where he is, so surely it is up to the individual and fight their way into a team, not be gifted it because of their skin colour.
The same goes for women, they want more women in there, but when the pool of women interested in motorsport is far less than men, its only natural there will be less women.
I don’t think Lewis has quite done the percentages on this, or put his reality hat on.
NeverElectric
13th July 2020, 2:00
It’s a clever move by Lewis and Mercedes, I think. Mercedes will reap massive marketing bonus points from this – they can trumpet their diversity credentials while Ferrari cannot. In Anglo countries – esp the US, Canada, the UK – this diversity initiative is big news and will play to Mercedes’ strength.
As for the people taking potshots at Lewis and calling him “a bore” for persisting with this – is he forcing you to listen / watch? As you likely don’t own any shares in Ferrari / Mercedes / any other F1 teams, why does this bother you? If you don’t like it, ignore it and scroll past the article.
Ferrari, Mercedes, etc sell lots of cars to places like China, India, etc. It is very much in their interests to listen to what Lewis is saying – those of you who think this is about “Blacks taking over White sports”, think a bit deeper. Don’t you think little Chinese kids want to see Chinese F1 drivers winning, look up to them?
The people most resistant to change are always the ones who think they benefit the most from the status quo.
Dave
13th July 2020, 3:00
You are definitely overthinking it – you do have quite an imagination though..
Sam
13th July 2020, 2:58
No HAM, you will never get a seat with the team most great drivers do this isn’t going to change things.
He is making matters worse – the Colin Kaepernick of racing!
A great driver but arrogant and not bright.
Alex Bkk (@alex-bkk)
13th July 2020, 4:30
I’m done with F1 over all this political correctness. It’s been creeping in for years and this is the last straw. So good bye RACE… fans
DeanR
13th July 2020, 7:08
Ta ta
bob (@riptide)
13th July 2020, 8:39
Just F1? I hope you dont watch sport on Sky then. Because they are pushing this issue far more than F1, and were berating Wolff/Ham/F1/ post race for not doing enough on BLM issues compared to other sports.
MB (@muralibhats)
13th July 2020, 5:01
Sad to see where this is all heading. This is not fighting for their rights. This is fighting to be dominant next to whites. He has no business in what other teams do. Just move on man.
Guess Asians also should start their own movement. Browns, East Asians, Arab, etc… everyone start their own movements..
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
13th July 2020, 6:32
@muralibhats Not going to happen. There’s systemic racism against Asians, Browns, East Asians, Arab that no one seems to care. The black was deem superior race that when a blacks married whites their kids would be ‘black’, but when it was other colour/ethnicity they would be called ‘mixed’.
Every so called social justices happily get along with this blatant discrimination.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
13th July 2020, 12:11
I find this rather disturbing. To state he or the BLM are fighting for “dominance” is quite an extremist point of view. If ethnic minorities had the same equality as their white counterparts and they were pushing for actual dominance from that position of equality- then yeah, sure maybe that argument would hold some weight. The fact of the matter is structural racism exists and they are nowhere near “dominant”.
Specifically on F1- I take you back to Hamilton’s early years when Mosley was the president of the FIA. The amount of crazy penalties Hamilton received- Belgium 2008 springs to mind among others. A few years later Mosley was exposed after being at a Nazi adult party. Now you tell me- if the top boss of motorsport had at the very least- questionable views on racial relations- do you really think that wouldn’t filter down the organisation in some form of way?
Next point is in Hamilton’s country. Many right wing outlets such as the Telegraph, Express and Mail have consistently questioned Hamilton’s Britishness because his father is of Carribean heritage. Yet on the flip side we have guys like Kevin Pietersen (who is of South African heritage but is white) being hailed as a great British sports person. See the double standards? It’s not even just with Hamilton- see the propaganda that is written about other sports personnel of ethnic minority background like David Haye etc.
Finally- on the point of the UK. Recently there was the Windrush scandal where black people where being illegally detained and deported after decades in this country.
You state
If you have missed that these ethnicities are also part of the BLM movement as well then it really isn’t a surprise as to why you are getting worked up.
Maybe, just maybe, this is part of the problem- wilfull ignorance that these issues exist.
Jack (@jackisthestig)
13th July 2020, 14:56
Oh come on! That nonsense about Max Moseley has already been through the libel courts. The women involved in those uhuurm… ‘activities’ were speaking German, no more to it than that.
The over-zealous penalties against Lewis during his early years at McLaren were nothing to do with racism and everything to to with the spygate scandal. Max Moseley and Ron Dennis’ didn’t make much effort to disguise their utter contempt for each other.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
13th July 2020, 16:34
It has indeed gone through the courts- and the judgements are very nuanced on the privacy issues etc but even then, they still don’t acquit Mosley of having prejudiced views. I will accept that Mosley v Dennis maybe added to the penalties after spygate but again it still doesn’t explain why only one Mclaren was singled out.
Even if I accept your point of view on Mosley- there are the other issues I mentioned re the media, wider society etc. So I reiterate my fundamental point- prejudice very much exists and to pretend Hamilton or the BLM are shouting about nothing as the OP suggests is quite simply wilful ignorance.
Jeorge
13th July 2020, 5:06
Budget cap, Lewis. Budget cap
Lots of people will be laid off and Mercedes is one of the top three in that area
LEMAYIAN (@lems)
13th July 2020, 6:49
The fact that many people are bashing him says more about what he stands for and the opposition it faces than anything else. The “ROOT CAUSE” folks. That’s the words. But many really don’t understand that. Talking is one things, doing and going to the bottom of it is another. If you haven’t experienced racism, then you can’t bash him because you dont know how that feels, and how it affects someone’s life. So yes, Lewis, go many are behind you and just dont listen to the naysayers. Yes we call for diversity and that the colour of your skin should never be a determinant to whether you get a better life or not, whether you get employed or not. It should be a level playing field.
F1Recorder
13th July 2020, 7:37
Lewis Hamilton has the privilege of being born in the Uk.
Right now 25% of the F1 drivers are British, an average that was mostly the same in all history.
It’s easier to get to F1 being a black in the Uk than being a white in Greece, Sérvia.
I’m pretty sure that if we go deep in the rest of team members, the % of British compared to other nationalities is even bigger.
I don’t think Hamilton is worries at all with this, maybe because “it’s hard to recognize a privilege when you’re used to it”
bob (@riptide)
13th July 2020, 8:49
Which is something his Commission is going to look at. And something that Mercedes have been actively working on for a while. I think everyone involved in F1 and motorsport in general know that this global industry is localised in the heart of England around Motorsport Valley and that’s not going to change. So rather than ignore it as you say, you have to see how you can get round that issue if at all possibe.
F1Recorder
13th July 2020, 10:12
I have no trust in the so called “commission”. Historically in all the pressing issues a commission is something that is created when a company or government wants to do nothing on a subject. Because they believe this issue will be on the top of the agenda for a short time and in 2/3 years nobody will recall them asking for results of the comission.
I don’t live in motorsport valley, but a sport like this will always create a cluster effect. People learn a lot in one team, then move to a different team and take some lessons from the previous and learn a bit more, then the guys who learned in the second team move to a third and etc. collectivity they are all better than being alone in the middle of Italy as Ferrari.
Diversity in motorsport will increase naturally with:
– the increase of diversity in the UK middle class
– the increase of respect for women in engineer
My Left Eye (@blik)
13th July 2020, 8:29
Not enough diversity in the Olympic 100, 200, 400, 1500, 3000………………………………..
ColdFly (@)
13th July 2020, 8:39
I don’t think that analysing the skin tone on the full team photos is any more useful that plotting the racial background of the WDC of the last decade.
Racism, and especially institutional racism, is a big issue throughout society. I’m afraid though that pointing your fingers at others and focussing on appearances will only lead to tokenism (and a character in South Park).
OOliver
13th July 2020, 9:24
Thats true
You can’t do much about the individual racist, but when a state makes allow or allows systematic racism to thrive and even makes excuses or grants pardon for the offenders using the instruments of a state then you have a big issue and that is what the focus should be on.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
13th July 2020, 9:10
Hey, we’ll take engineers of all races where I work. Anyone who is good at STEM, we hire. Regardless of race, background, gender, body type. Whatever. Can you work in a team? Do you use logic well?
Good luck getting minorities in to STEM, very few people want to do that anyway.
It should all start with early education, that is where disparities start, physics that I studied were 80% white male. And other people used to make fun of us, why study such a difficult subject, it’s stupid to do so, when you could just learn some marketing or whatever.
Is Physics racist? Science does not care, math does not know your race, measurement tool does not know your skill tone.
Stop watch last Saturday did not know the color of #44 driver. Nor did it cared.
F1 is awesome place where science, engineering and sportsmanship meet. There is no hiding, if there is a racial bias anywhere, it will show both ways. Racist teams that hire engineers based on color of their skin will be second to teams that hire the best engineers.
Hamilton can say whatever he wants, his team is mostly white, and right now they are the team to beat. They do have a black driver. Why? Because he is the best.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
13th July 2020, 9:16
Love this comment
bob (@riptide)
13th July 2020, 9:33
So why are they mainly white males? You say its because very few want to do it. But you don’t say why that is. So whats wrong with getting someone to look into that and funding them to do it. Which is basically all Hamilton is doing once you put all the chatter to one side.
Witan
13th July 2020, 9:40
Oddly in the UK the least educationally successful group are poor white males. When a scholarship scheme was proposed to help redress this it was shot down on the basis it was racist. In fact the opposition to it was hypocritical as the same opponents welcome special entry measures elsewhere for non-white entrants.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2019/dec/30/private-schools-defend-refusal-of-1m-donation-to-help-poor-white-boys
The problem with positive action to increase diversity is that it often ends in racial, gender or religious discrimination.
Roth Man (@rdotquestionmark)
13th July 2020, 9:15
Ferrari have bigger problems on their plate right now. This is a results driven business and the best person will always get the job. There is no place for handouts and quotas.
Witan
13th July 2020, 9:32
I understand Hamilton feels strongly as he has suffered racial prejudice not least from Spanish fans. But he has been remarkably privileged with his sponsorship from kid to F1 champion and I am afraid this leads him to conclusions which are not as beneficial as he thinks they are, conclusions influenced by American politics and ‘positive discrimination’ policies.
Positive discrimination is negative to someone else. Discrimination on the basis of race, gender or religion is illegal in the UK. Some organisations, such as the BBC, skirt illegality with their recruitment policies to increase ‘diversity’ and so much so that their recruitment advertisements seem occasionally to mention special opportunities for every racial, gender orientation and religious ‘identity’ except white males.
Is that what Hamilton wants from F1?
I want racism out of F1, racism in all its forms, overt or covert. I do not want racial discrimination under the cover of increasing ‘diversity’. The only discrimination should be the best for the job which is one reason I dislike pay drivers or rich kid drivers.
Glennb
13th July 2020, 10:00
He reminds me of Greta Thunberg. Annoying.
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
13th July 2020, 10:04
First, you silenced different opinion. Then you think you can’t be wrong. Next time you know you shot someone just because they’re saying all lives matter.
Stewart Moir
13th July 2020, 11:12
Shut up. Get in the car. Drive.
DeanR (@deanr)
13th July 2020, 12:14
He’s triggered you though, hasn’t he!
History will recognise Hamilton as much more than just a driver. He is now in the process of expanding his influence beyond the bounds of F1. He is transending his status as an F1 great. It clearly bothers a lot of people but Mohammed Ali bothered a lot of people with his views and stance on racism. I’ll leave that one out there… there are massive similarities!
Gubstar
13th July 2020, 13:44
Ali was racist towards Smokin Joe Frazier (the person who had helped Ali out when he was down on his knees after the vietnam thing) I would put his quotes towards Jo on here but it would be removed due to racism, so do some research, but you can ignore those facts of you like
G (@unklegsif)
13th July 2020, 13:56
@gubstar
You mean like this?
“I always bring out the best in the men I fight, but Joe Frazier, I’ll tell the world right now, brings out the best in me. I’m gonna tell ya, that’s one helluva man, and God bless him.”
Ken Gubby
13th July 2020, 14:04
He said that later on in life, but the quotes at the time were horrendous, but again, you can ignore that if you like. My point was that Ali is not the kind of example that should be used in these kinds of discussions.
Feel free to research Ali’s 1975 playboy interview, or his comments about Frazier being an uncle tom or gorilla. Yes towards the end of his life he abandoned his racist ways, and fair play to him for that, but he is not the shining example of civil rights people are making him out to be. No triggering here, just stating the facts mam
DeanR (@deanr)
13th July 2020, 14:00
Ali may or may not have said racist things to Jo Frasier. My point was Ali is remembered as probably the biggest sporting icon in history and that isn’t simply because of his boxing. He transended his sport and a large part of that was down to his fight against the awful racism happening in the US
Sounds familiar huh!
G (@unklegsif)
13th July 2020, 14:27
@Ken Gubby
Show me a boxer who didn’t run his mouth off about his opponent… and I am fully aware of the comments you reference
Frazier also said some pretty dubious an unpleasant thing about Ali.
G (@unklegsif)
13th July 2020, 13:52
@deanr
Sadly, he seems to have triggered a LOT of people on here….
That however, says more about them, than Lewis (it says absolutely nothing about Lewis in fact)
maestrointhesky (@maestrointhesky)
15th July 2020, 13:43
Totally agree. Having watched the Micheal Jordan ‘Last Dance’ documentary, I think overall, the Jordan legacy is tarnished by him staying neutral to appease his sponsors, rather that using the platform he had to step into the political arena and fight racism. He was, and still is my idol but the answers he gave during the interview in this specific respect, lacked the strength and conviction of the rest of the documentary as a whole, as if there is an element of regret that he didn’t do more at the time. I don’t agree with everything Lewis says but hats off to him. Love him or loathe him, he’s using the unique platform he has available to him, to expose the flaws in the very industry that has paid him so well which he believes are just. As for the number of championships he’s won, no would would give him the time of day if he had won nothing, languishing at the back of the grid.
Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay to what we know now after coming back from the Olympics with a gold medal for his country, only to find that he was prohibited from eating in a restaurant in his home town because of the colour of his skin. Took up the Islamic religion because Christian church practice was to keep colours segregated. We’ve come a long way since then but to try and keep politics and sport separate ignores the struggles of the past.
Blazzz (@blazzz)
13th July 2020, 12:17
He did. Got pole. Won the race. Now he’s voicing his opinion on important issues.
bob (@riptide)
13th July 2020, 12:27
He has shut up on a number of occasions. You must remember them, you were on here complaining ‘who does he think he is missing press appearances’. Although I suppose the question is; why do you think you have to right to comment on this issue; but not Hamilton?
But given its mainly Sky pushing this BLM agenda on their banners, ads and gotcha questions. (‘Why are other sports doing better than you’ was a question they threw at Wolff/Carey/Hamilton and a number of others this weekend, and had a large segment of the post race show dedicated to it) surely you ire should be aimed at Sky.
mirko710
13th July 2020, 12:34
Did he compare Petronas and Aramco about diversity in their board of directors with Ferrari? Not much of a difference to me
mirko710
13th July 2020, 12:16
Does Lewis have any comments on the state of race relations and minorities in Malaysia? By the cursory glance, there is an improvement to be made there
Geo
13th July 2020, 15:46
He doesn’t even have to look that far. Black people the world over are killing each other at a rate multiple times more than any other races!
bob (@riptide)
13th July 2020, 16:55
Why?
Ash (@captainap)
13th July 2020, 14:19
As a Black man myself, and there are not many Black F1 fans from what ive experienced over my many years of travelling to races, the majority of the comments above should shock me but they dont. They do disappoint me though, I’m not a Lewis or Mercedes fan, im a Ferrari fan, i have been since Michael joined in 96 but i have to say i agree with Lewis. Ferrari have showed zero support towards black lives matter or even the end racism campaign. I urge you all to check the official scuderia ferrari instagram page and then check the mercedes instagram page and you will see the difference yourself. Ferrari have not mentioned any support at all. I feel so torn as a lifelong Ferrari fan, when Charles didnt take the knee i felt hurt and disrespected. For those who continue to say that this is a political issue, you need to take a deep long look at yourself. This has nothing to do with politics, please stop mentioning other diversity issues. Lewis is highlighting the lack of Black faces in and around the paddock, not Albon, not the W series, not Jock clear, they are not Black, and the issue we must focus on is black lives matter.
MJA
13th July 2020, 16:26
Which is more important:
1) having the best team of mechanics, regardless of ethnic origin
2) having an ethnically diverse team
This is attacking the wrong end of the problem. We need to make sure that people from ethnic minority backgrounds have equal opportunities to become great mechanics, not hiring them to work alongside great mechanics in order to fill a quota.
What Ferrari are supposed to do about that, I’m not sure.
Gary Pooper (@gpwaon20)
13th July 2020, 16:42
Racing topic please Lewis. You are americanizing the debate. I am all in favor of diversity at Ferrari from Sondrio, Lazio, Umbria, etc…
Magnificent drive Sunday btw
LEMAYIAN (@lems)
13th July 2020, 21:31
https://twitter.com/SheffieldUnited/status/1282588575272501249?s=19 . This was sent to a Sheffield United player. How do you combat this? HOW?
NeverElectric
14th July 2020, 8:28
Lots of these types right here on this forum. They masquerade under “let him move back to the UK and pay taxes” and similar (others preface their remarks with, “I dont mind him as a driver, but….” and then go on to reel off a list of “negative” qualities that every driver has, but for which only Lewis gets criticised), but you will notice they never make the same demands of the other drivers who also live in tax havens and who just happen to be White.
The world is sick.
G (@unklegsif)
14th July 2020, 9:34
@NeverElectric
A particularly hollow argument used against him is the “what would he know, with all his privileged….”
They literally shine the light on themselves to be the bigots they are.
And anyone coming back with “All Lives Matter”, may think they are taking the moral high-ground, but are in fact, part of the problem itself
P.millard
13th July 2020, 23:30
I was the biggest Louis Hamilton fan on the planet but I just can’t watch him any more makes me so sad as ruined f1 for me
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
14th July 2020, 9:25
I’ve seen that ferrari lady for a long long time, sign for ferrari Lewis.
emuload
15th July 2020, 11:12
Why should a team take responsability for a problem they do not have, have not created, and are frankly not in a position to either perpetuate or change?
Formula 1’s lack of diversity (Well, with regards to certain specific groups, because F1 is hugely diverse) is nothing more than a product of society. F1’s not accessible, it’s an elite club for the incredibly fortunate. Chances of a rags to riches story in F1 are non-existent. Truth is, there are fewer people in certain minorities who have the level of access required for F1 (that is, social and economic). And those who do, evidently arn’t overly interested in being a more active part of the circus. No discrimination in paying customers, as can often be seen with VIP guests after all.
F1’s individuals should absolutely show support for the plight of others, but let’s not for one minute think F1 is where diversity can or should start from.