Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Circuit de Catalunya, 2021

Hamilton wants to understand “deeper reason” for lack of black representation in F1

2021 F1 season

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Lewis Hamilton wants to understand the “deeper reason” why black participation in motorsport remains so low, 14 years since his trailblazing Formula 1 debut.

The seven-times world champion, who remains F1’s only black competitor, has launched the Hamilton Commission to study the problem. Yesterday the commission published a 180-page report which put forward a series of recommendation to encourage more young black people to consider careers in motorsport.

The report “Accelerating Change: Improving Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport” found “a general lack of data collection on the diversity characteristics of the workforce in Formula 1 teams and the wider motorsport sector, but anecdotal evidence based on interviews suggested that fewer than one in a hundred people working in motorsport are black.”

Hamilton said this reflects his experience in the sport. “I’ve been racing since I was eight years old, I’m 36 now and my dad and I are the only people of colour that we have [seen] in the sport all those years,” he said in a video published by Mercedes. “I’ve got to Formula 1 and there’s been one or two maybe mechanics, there are a few from the Asian community in the sport.”

He rejects the suggestion that the difference in representation is a reflection of ability. “I look around and there must be a reason,” he said.

“It’s not because minorities lack the intelligence. There’s got to be a deeper reason why it is not more diverse.”

The commission’s report identified structural reasons why black graduates may be less likely to reach Formula 1 than other ethnicities. These result in a relatively low number of black graduates from the leading 24 Russell Group universities who have degrees in engineering subjects of interest to motorsport companies. Only around 200 new black graduates per year met that criteria.

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Among the small number which made it into F1 and other forms of motorsport, some reported experiencing racism, as related in the report.

“I believe that we have to push for a more inclusive and diverse society,” said Hamilton. “I’ve got this amazing opportunity. I’m not afraid to be able to use my voice to help others.

“We are working together as a team to try and create more opportunities for younger people and also just open the eyes up to people who perhaps didn’t even think that motor sport was an opportunity or a career that they could pursue.”

The report urged the promotion of STEM – science, technology, education and mathematics – subjects to black children and called on those working in motorsport to collect data on black participation in motorsport.

“STEM subjects are super-important in school,” said Hamilton. “A lot of people and youngsters, and I was the same when I was at school, didn’t realise all the opportunities that are there through STEM in our industry, in the motor sports industry.

“It’s not [being] just racing drivers or an engineer. There are so many job opportunities. There’s so many different levels to which people could get in. And I think it’s super-important that at the moment there’s not a lot of diversity and it’s really important that we make it more diverse because new ideas coming from people from different walks of life is only going to make society better. It’s only going to make our sport better.”

Read Dieter Rencken’s analysis of the Hamilton Commission report in a new edition of the RacingLines column today on RaceFans

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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59 comments on “Hamilton wants to understand “deeper reason” for lack of black representation in F1”

  1. The “deeper reason” is black people are not as rich, because of known deeper reasons. Only students who have enough financial backing to fail for a few years would risk even thinking about going into F1. Not to mention, most new hires require rich friends who will introduce you into the sport and give you a lower position. If you want to join an F2 team, you are likely going to have to be out of pocket for quite a bit for a few years, as a lot of those people are doing it out of love for the sport, plus there aren’t many positions available. Rich folks can more afford such high risk high reward jobs, while the less fortunate technology graduates will go for safer options that put bread on the table.

    1. He is talking about more than just being a race driver but also technicians and engineers.
      It still comes down to interest, qualification and experience. You will always have other folks with more experience becuase they developed the interest earlier. Why would a team then go for some unqualified individual.
      The world has too many problems and you can’t solve then overnight or if ever. Try but don’t make too much noise like you are going to change the world because that won’t happen.

      1. I was indeed talking about technicians and engineers, and in fact specifically about entry level positions. I know you need experience for the higher positions, but teams do have openings for gradudates, and I was focusing on those. If you follow a lot of the carreers of people who are in F1 in higher positions, a majority of them started out in motorsport, and stayed there. Transferring from another industry is rare, as it’s an elitist sport in many ways. Or rather, experience in motorsport is twice as valuable as experience in another industry, so people are being pigeon-holed with their careers. This is another element of risk for anyone wanting to get into F1. I might be wrong, but this is my impression.

        1. I worked in an engineering dept with an electronics engineer who had recently left Toyota F1. He said that it was all consuming there, apparently they owned your time and used it ruthlessly. Not an environment where a normal life can be led, hence he left..

  2. He has more than 400 million under his disposal + he can get sponsorship. He can make his own team and pick his own personel however he wants them to be. This would be the first step and proper example of doing something. Only talking is not enough.

  3. I would like to understand the deeper reason for racing in countries that still have enslaved minorities and women, and where people are prosecuted for their sexual orientation or gender identity?
    And why people who claim to fight for equality and diversity see this as a non-issue?

    STEM subjects are super-important in school,” said Hamilton. “A lot of people and youngsters, and I was the same when I was at school, didn’t realise all the opportunities that are there through STEM in our industry, in the motor sports industry.

    So what was Hamilton doing when teachers, parents, and his local environment were saying, “pay attention in school, work your hardest and put in your best, an education is the way onto a brighter tomorrow?”

  4. This is a poor attempt at whataboutism.

    For example, there are plenty of white executives and staff in the NBA. Can you say the same about black people and F1? This isn’t just about the drivers, and it never has been.

  5. Interest, access and understanding, amongst other reasons.

    STEM is not, has never been, and likely never will be cool, nor will it ever be a route to untold millions for dreamers. F1, like most elite activities has a very very small pool of very specific roles and, as with football, those with any interest and ability will likely fail to make the grade required to enter the pinnacle of motorsport, whatever your background is.
    What STEM has is a vast industry behind it whether in the sciences or product design etc. What the UK doesn’t have is a general automotive industry in which to get involved with. What is necessary to understand is this is not just about F1.
    We do have a very healthy motorsport sector and with the likes of Britcar etc and there are some 5000 events held every year in the UK (thanks google) so there is a very real route for generating interest in motorsport with the less privileged. What is needed is a youth scheme, similar to the scouts, that revolves around racing but is grounded in engineering, mechanics and education that piques the curiosity of those who cannot relate to school in an effort to counteract the culture that is prevalent and generate self motivation in these individuals. There is already some green shoots around this concept in banger racing and speedway to keep the disaffected out of trouble, but is it not enough and too few and far between and involves money which people generally don’t have, and the clubs have to raise through donations etc.
    People talk of demographics and defined gender roles etc. and, whilst there is an element of that (i.e. why are there not more male nurses etc.), it is not the defining characteristic of STEM that a career is limited by such characteristics as race, as there are so many varied roles across the globe. What we have is an issue where access to the necessary education is limited by wider socio economic factors including geography, but also cultural issues where STEM is not cool.
    To address the root causes of a lack of diversity in motorsport specifically, access and interest in STEM must be improved with the impressionable in a way as to generate self motivation, but also be able to generate the interest and participation in motorsport in a way that identifies the talent and determination present without coming up against the hard stop of affordability. Antony Hamilton deserves to be lauded for the grit and determination he showed in enabling his son to follow his motorsport dream and it cost him more than simple time and money. It cost him his son for a few years. No one needs to go through that for your children to be able to live their dream, whether they go on to be world champion or simply get their kicks from building their own Binky.

    Good on you Lewis for setting up the commission and actually coming up with an actual honest to goodness serious report, not some PR crap. Get in there and Rashford the hell out of grass roots, entry level motorsport and give the FIA and Motorsport UK the kick they need to open up access for everyone. You have my support.

  6. As a white male. I’m well aware that I lack the perspective or the experiences that qualify me to talk authoritatively about racism and prejudice. It’s only after reading first-hand accounts from people in reports or social media that I’ve realised how deep-rooted racism is and it sickens me.

    My hope for the future is that the wealth divide closes for all areas, especially for ethnic minorities where there has been deliberate action taken to subjugate by supressing wealth and opportunity. Representation in public life and on-screen screen of minorities (and that includes LGBTQ+) is proven to fuel a sense of inclusivity and break down the “exclusive club” feel of certain sports and organisations.

    Fingers crossed that the political leaders who use weaponise xenophobia and use racism as a tool for populism (and thereby legitimise abhorrent behaviour for some) will also be held to account.

    I think some of the comments on this thread have been removed, if that’s the case then it’s a shame that @keithcollantine felt the need to do so, but absolutely right that he did. Free speech is a right, but it does not give people the right to bully or express regressive attitudes which help to destroy the life-opportunities of people.

    I hate to recycle stuff I’ve said but I’m going to do it anyway as due to character limits I was able to be quite succinct on twitter:

    The more I listen to @LewisHamilton talk about racism & diversity, the more statesmanlike he sounds. Such an intelligent & articulate being. A great ambassador for humanity.
    I’m sure his legacy will extend way beyond his success on track.

    1. greasemonkey
      14th July 2021, 18:04

      Some removals are over the line, in my opinion. Free speech has to at least allow respectful discourse. Unfortunately, my opinion is that this site has now joined so many others where freedom is shadow impinged.

      Free speech discourse requires the allowance for positions one may disagree with. Forums can certainly allow for constraint to proper respect and decorum, but to filter on the expression of thought, based on the thought itself, even when posed in a respectful way, is just too far in my opinion.

      1. greasemonkey
        14th July 2021, 18:15

        To be clear, I /want/ to see any and all thoughts argued in plain sight, so long as it is done in a respectful way, as that is the safest way to disarm bad ideas and movements. The best way to discredit something is using logic and evidence, head to head, in open discourse.

      2. greasemonkey
        14th July 2021, 18:35

        Note that I also think the site should have the right to delete whatever they want, so long as they then do not claim exceptions for publishers. IOW, when they delete, they are in fact creating their own signal in the form of sculpted content/thought, which is itself content/thought. Which means they should be vulnerable to libel, etc, on that signal. If they opt for publisher protection, then they should not be allowed to filter on thoughts themselves.

        Hence why USA’s Section 230 is broken.

        1. Fortunately this site is not US based and in any case, free speech is regards to government censorship not moderation.

          You may think that every idea should be up for debate in the open. However, when a view could be alienating and invalidating to other readers, it creates a hostile environment, which isn’t what RaceFans is supposed to be.

          A good rule is ‘think about the comments assuming the readership is majority [excluded group].’

          1. I do not think that your explanation actually works. The problem is with the way “safe environment” has been defined in the West. It works not with facts (i.e. whether an insult was written/said or not), but with perception (did anyone feel insulted?). However, this approach has substantial problems. The ability of people to feel threatened/insulted is enormous, and is largely irrelevant of whether any insult actually took place. Numerous studies show conclusively that people feel threatened when faced with facts that contradict their beliefs. The approach that you defend here and the West adopted is to shield people from such situations. However, this is clearly wrong. First, one of the key reasons why debates are useful is to educate people. If you shield those who are wrong from facts that show it, how are they going to learn? And second, if people which claim to aim for safe environment really meant it, then they would have to simply close all discussions, because pretty much any opinion that is not totally trivial is bound to make someone disagree, and for some people facing disagreeable opinions means feeling unwelcome or threatened.
            What we see instead is media and people in charge of debates claiming to aim for save environment, but in reality creating it only for some, and using this as an excuse to limit discussion on topics that they feel uncomfortable with. The outcome of this practice, which started already in the 1990s and was from the very start used to stiffle public debate, is – among other things – the rise of racism, increase in numbers of extremist groups, and it also significantly contributed to the election of Trump five years ago. I have yet to see any benefits.
            A true “safe environment” policy means not judging by perception, but by intent. If a person decides to feel insulted by some fact, then it is that person’s decision and that person’s responsibility to deal with it. No-one has a right to require that society and the world in general respects this particular person’s feeling of what he/she wants to encounter and what not. The desire to be shielded from unpleasant situations is a sign of immaturity. An adult person should be able to deal with different opinion.

          2. pH: if someone feels insulted, it is not your part to tell them that actually you were not insulting them.

            It is not the part of someone hurting someone to tell them that they can’t actually feel it. It is astounding how easily people are offended by being told to stop hurting other people.

          3. It is not the part of someone hurting someone to tell them that they can’t actually feel it. It is astounding how easily people are offended by being told to stop hurting other people.

            Hazel by your own values you are assuming you are okay hurting other people… you even dismiss that saying they are “easily” offended…

    2. Blanky, you sure are thin skinned. There are a broad range of perspectives shown in the comment section of this site. If lots of us disagree with your views, that is our right. Don’t be such a snowflake.

    3. greasemonkey
      15th July 2021, 15:01

      Any given domain is only free when it allows free speech of ideas.

    4. greasemonkey
      15th July 2021, 15:07

      In any given domain, protecting people from ideas, even overtly wrong ideas, requires tyranny.

      Protecting people from direct attack, on the other hand, preserves liberty.

  7. Lewis hasn’t seen a single black person in racing in all his years in the sport, apart from himself and Senior? What about Jann Mardenborough?

    1. I’d say he might have also noticed Pascal Wehrlein who was part of the Mercedes team / junior team even @wsrgo. Or indeed the young woman who was with Lewis on the podium last year representing the team.

      I think his point was more that it’s very rare to run into anyone else of colour in F1 though, than to be literally taken there

      1. Just a point that I don’t think Wehrlein considers his mixed heritage black. (there are multiple Mauritian ethnicities)

    2. @wsrgo

      Hamilton contradicts himself in the very next sentence, where he says that he has seen 2 black engineers.

      He seems to have a tendency to exaggerate (like his claims about growing up in a poor neighborhood), so I always take things he says with a grain of salt.

  8. Exactly ^

    It also needs to be very clear what sort of level of representation would be considered correct.

  9. It’s a mix of several factors, including having role models and general interest in a topic or sport.
    There’s just a lack of role models for many minorities, not just black people, when it comes to F1 (all areas of the sport).

    If you compare it to football, you’ll see it’s the complete opposite. There is a big interest in the sport already at a very young age, because children play it with their friends and it’s relatively easy to get into a football club.
    Because it’s pretty cheap (although there have been some negative examples in the recent past that already changed that fact, i.e. public football fields being transformed into private football academies), children from every background are able to play it and that may be the main reason why many become football professionals and thus they become role models for future generations.

    The situation in F1 or motorsports in general is vastly different. You will only get interested in the sport, if you talk about it with your friends. But if none of your friends watches F1, i.e. because your family can’t afford the annual subscription fee (F1 is FTA only in a small number of countries and ridiculously expensive on Pay-TV), you will not get interested in it.
    This doesn’t apply exclusively to the drivers, but nearly every part of the sport (engineers, journalists etc.).

    Motorsport has become far too expensive, which kills carreers even before they have begun. Families with a lower income just won’t be able to fund their children’s karting carreer (not even the start of it).

    1. Very well

    2. @srga91

      It’s a mix of several factors, including having role models and general interest in a topic or sport.

      This lack of roles models only exist if you categorize people by race in the first place…

      Shouldn’t we try to teach people to stop doing that, which would have the additional benefit of reducing racism, rather than encouraging people to classify others by race? Note that scientific research has shown that diversity training increases stereotyping based on race.

      Why shouldn’t a black kid look at Max and identify with him, or a white kid identify with Hamilton?

      The situation in F1 or motorsports in general is vastly different. You will only get interested in the sport, if you talk about it with your friends. But if none of your friends watches F1, i.e. because your family can’t afford the annual subscription fee (F1 is FTA only in a small number of countries and ridiculously expensive on Pay-TV), you will not get interested in it.

      Indeed. The entire sport is elitist, from top to bottom.

      If this is not addressed, then you might get more black people from a rich background into the sport, but it’s not going to be anywhere near inclusive or accessible.

      1. @aapje
        It’s not as easy as you suggest it is. You won’t admire somebody that isn’t in some way similar to you, i.e. looks similar to you, comes from the same country/city, has a similar cultural background, etc.
        That’s why you initially like that person. I’m not saying that a black kid won’t admire Max Verstappen/be a fan of his (there are many black Dutch people), but I think it comes more naturally to somebody to identify with a person who shares similarities with oneself. I don’t think that is racist, it may be just a feeling we have deep down inside of us.

        I’m not black, so I can’t speak for them. But I was born in Yugoslavia and moved with my parents to Austria. So I always support people from the Balkans, because I generally feel close to them (we share the same native language, usually have a similar mentality). At the same time I also support people from my region in Austria, because of similar reasons I just mentioned.

        I agree with your last paragraph, though. Diversity means including people from every background, especially the less fortunate/poor. Rich people are still rich people, regardless of their race or skin colour. Including them won’t change anything in the sport.

        1. “You won’t admire somebody that isn’t in some way similar to you, i.e. looks similar to you, comes from the same country/city, has a similar cultural background, etc”

          Is that so? (Honest question)
          I am sure I have admired people in the past that were nothing like me.

          I can see both your point, but also @aapje‘s point. Racism will only truly end when people don’t see anymore a black, white, Asian or whatever skin colour/ethnicity person.
          If that is really possible in our lifetime, I don’t know, but doubt it.

          Maybe by being more inclusive, we are keeping racism alive. But on the other hand, racism will for sure be kept alive in other ways also. And doing nothing also doesn’t solve anything.

          1. Yes, I feel that way. Especially as a kid, you are looking for someone to identify with. You are either similar to this person or want to be like him/her.
            I don’t know if that applies to all people (probably not), but to me it does.

        2. @srga91

          It’s not as easy as you suggest it is. You won’t admire somebody that isn’t in some way similar to you

          We are all humans. Besides, there are many other ways to identify other than race, like based on personality. Kimi has a very different personality than the rest of the grid and he has a large fan base because of it. You can also hold people up as a role model because of their achievements and hard work & identify yourself with them because you do the same. You can identify based on their nationality (or regionality). So many possibilities.

          The entire idea that I should identify with people just based on their race seems absurd to me.

          I don’t think that is racist, it may be just a feeling we have deep down inside of us.

          I think that we all have a tendency to categorize and seek out a ‘clan,’ but people can do this based on many aspects. Doing it based on race is a choice. I think that we should discourage this, rather than encourage it, as happens now (for certain groups, based on the weird belief that it leads to horrible outcomes when some groups do it, but is no problem if other groups do it).

          1. @aapje
            Yes, Kimi is a good example. I also admire Kimi, because he is who he is and doesn’t care what other people think. That made me want to be just like him, even though I’m not really :)
            I didn’t exclusively mean visible similarites, but similarities in general, including personality.

            I don’t think identifying with someone based on ethnicity is a conscious choice, but rather a subconscious feeling. It’s just a part of us, whether we like it or not, but it’s just there and unintentional.
            There are however people who do that intentionally, because of ideological reasons and think that their ethnicity is ‘better’ or ‘superior’ to another. That’s disgusting and wrong.
            What I wanted to point out was, that those two things are seperate matters/ways of thinking and shouldn’t be treated the same.

        3. It’s not as easy as you suggest it is. You won’t admire somebody that isn’t in some way similar to you, i.e. looks similar to you, comes from the same country/city, has a similar cultural background, etc.

          I reject this completely.

    3. greasemonkey
      14th July 2021, 15:25

      Racing has a unique, amongst sports, opportunity to flip this disadvantage completely around, and turn racing into one of the largest pools, instead of the smallest pool. Even larger than football/soccer, since club/travel team play in that can become too expensive for many families too.

      Unlike video game stick/ball sports, sim racing DOES in fact carry over strongly to real life racing. There is a significant and serious correlation, so long as the sim platform is good enough. Yes, enough gear is more expensive than a basketball, but I assert it is on par with a season of proper little league gear and fees (a good drop 10 bat is not cheap for example). At the moment the opportunity is being squandered due to bigger licensed titles not being as high grade for real life carry over as: PC2, AMS, AMS2, iR, AC, ACC, RRE, rF1, rF2, and LFS. And for this forum, I point to the complete fail of the CM/EA F1 series.

      1. greasemonkey
        14th July 2021, 15:36

        Also iR is doing this wrong, in my opinion. Their platform is stellar (best in some areas, mostly competitive in others). However, iR is seemingly attempting to make sim racing also elitist. The licensing policy really adds up, the forums and culture are exclusive and elitist, and the spirit is narrow.

        AC, in my opinion, is in the best spirit, but they took a step in the wrong direction, in my opinion, wrt inclusiveness, with ACC. Maybe AC2 has hope.

        (side note: on pure carry over to real life, I find AMS2, PC2, LFS, and ACC as the ones that have my brain “racing” the closest in nature to the way it does in real life. However, any of them on my first list are “good enough”)

  10. It’s a good point @balue but would you rather he said nothing at all? At least he’s doing something, of course Black is just one of the underrepresented minorities. Sometimes I wish he would say more about others too, but I don’t put 2+2 together and get 4 like you’re doing here personally. Anything is better than the status quo, which is, dominated by white men such as myself.

    1. @john-hv

      I don’t put 2+2 together and get 4 like you’re doing here

      2+2=5 then? Why is this topic so orwellian? Promoting one race over others for diversity is as doublethink as anything, same for fighting racism by making the race of a person matter.

      Similarly, my objecting to the ‘party line’ or newspeak here will likely get me censored as it has several times previously:

      ” The novel [1984] explicitly shows people learning doublethink and Newspeak due to peer pressure and a desire to “fit in,” or gain status within the Party—to be seen as a loyal Party Member. In the novel, for someone to even recognize—let alone mention—any contradiction within the context of the Party line is akin to blasphemy, and could subject that person to disciplinary action and the instant social disapproval of fellow Party Members. “

      All too familiar.

  11. As I posted yesterday:

    I really like the ‘new’ Lewis Hamilton.

    As a human being he is pondering his place in the universe and how he can do something more meaningful with the success he has achieved.

    Some drivers set-up karting circuits that bear their name and provide grassroots opportunities to young drivers.

    Most drivers don’t even consider their place in society and how they can make a difference.

    In Lewis’ case he is addressing an imbalance that he has been best-placed to observe, one that he probably thought would have diminished as his own career flourished.

    I applaud him for what he is doing and hope he is able to make the changes he and F1 are seeking.

    ‘Get in there Lewis!’

    1. I reported your comment, since I think that it is not acceptable to just copy/paste the same comment on multiple stories.

      1. @aapjee

        That’s nice of you, thanks.

        Perhaps you should create your own F1 website? You can then impose any rule you’d like.

  12. John Toad (@)
    14th July 2021, 11:06

    The biggest problem for anybody trying to get into motor racing is money, or rather lack of it.
    Perhaps LH should take a leaf out of the Formula W book and use his influence to organise a motorsport series with similar rewards, but take it a step further and organise free hosted audience attendance for his target market with free transport, meals, pit visits and talks by personalities.
    I’m sure LH has the contacts necessary to make this happen.

  13. It is about interest. Racing is interesting but you need money to drive. Design and other aspects of the race team aren’t interesting to youth. This is where the fix needs to occur. Have kids design and build pinewood derby cars that are small and work on gravity. Progress to soapbox derby design. And then to small karts with electric engines as basic electric is simpler. And then to carburetor engines and finally duke injection.

    1. @jimfromus

      We have a very anti-engineering culture in most of the West, which is a major issue.

      1. @aapje I would go so far as to say that we have an anti-intellectual culture in most of the world.

    2. @jimfromus If it was purely interest then wouldn’t everything you said would apply equally to people from all cultures and background? I think it is clear that there are other issues which may be cultural, financial, educational, as well as elsewhere. The purpose of these kind of initiatives is to identify what the main causes of the disparities in representation are, and try to find solutions in order to give people from all backgrounds the same opportunities.

  14. Mostley and Ecclestone semt to have some opinions, near some extremes, wich didn’t seem to be extremly opened to race diversity .
    Max Mosley was the son of Oswald Mosley, Founder of Britsh Union of Facists.
    Just saying that,
    Ecclestone has said some stuff about Adolph Hitler too.

    Not sure it’s the best surronding to promote diversity and black people into F1 …

    So maybe it’s one of the reason why there were close doors.
    And it’s one of the reason why i very disliked those two, Bernie and Mosley

    If you have any doubts about what i’ve said, sources are wikipedia and public medias.
    They havn’t hiden it.

  15. Well Lewis, put your money where your mouth is, and sponsor a couple of Asian youth in the lower categories.

  16. 70 something years of F1 and only one black driver. Need I say more.

  17. Good one! 👊🏻

  18. It could be that defeating systemic racism requires more than kneeling, tweeting, and t-shirts.
    Maybe a general strike would help? There is nothing like taking candy away from babies to make them grow up, and sporting talent is cultural candy. Maybe if every successful sports celebrity who cares about this issue presented a united front against the racist culture that ultimately props up such things as the global economic status quo? Surely, if international sport was brought to a standstill by it’s greatest practitioners, then the money behind these endeavors would be forced to respond, showing their true colours. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that the masses would react poorly to this, and miss the point entirely. But it’s worth a shot Lewis!

  19. anonymous coward
    14th July 2021, 17:56

    “The report urged the promotion of STEM – science, technology, education and mathematics – subjects”

    STEM doesn’t mean that, I believe.

    Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics.

  20. That’s a pretty dramatic statement. Of course you can say whatever you want here, just don’t expect an echo chamber.

    1. No, it’s true. I break no rule but get constantly deleted just because I’m a deplorable. My comment above this got deleted, but I put it back up. As you can see it’s perfectly on point.

      Even this comment got deleted:

      “I asked WHAT those group are, not WHY they are selected. Do try to keep up.”

      The intolerance of differing opinion is incredible but then this is the era of cancel culture.

      But read fast, soon it’s all gone.

    2. Yes, what @balue said it’s true, @Ferro x-glideh

      It’s the same everywhere, the one that keeps talking about diversity always the one that afraid of diverse opinions. But nvm, I spent less and less time here anyway.

  21. Woah, I am surprised the comission is spot on.

    Only 200 black students graduate with appropriate degrees in top 24 universities?

    Now there in lies the answer.

    Motorsport like all sports are competitive.

    Those 200 students have jobs lining up for them, not all will join motorsport.

    But for those 200 their skill is more important than thr color of their skin.

    If we want to see less racism, we need to promote humanity, develop, educate, grow individuals to the point where their defining characteristics nolonger include race.

    This is what I find. The harder to find skilled work, the least important other characteristics are.

    Lewis for example, demands high pay, is a diva, pushes woke agendas, lives lavish lifestyle against wishes of many former empleyers… But still gets a job in F1, because he is skilled at his craft like no-other.

    Kids need to develop in to young people with imense skills.

  22. Electroball76
    15th July 2021, 9:35

    Same reasons as for sailing, golf, etc. Low levels of “diverse” fan interest leads to low participation, and so we see low representation.
    Also these sports tend to have a high cost to enter which further restricts by “class” and economic grounds.
    Contrast with football and athletics which have much lower barrier of entry.
    Serena, Tiger, and Lewis are still rare in their chosen sports but their massive success shows that ability does not have a colour.

  23. Talk is cheap, Hamilton should demand an immediate quota to ensure that his Mercedes team have at least 50% black mechanics and crew . Possibly Toto Wolff should step down. Once Hamilton starts winning then other teams will follow suit.

  24. Wow I’m simply cancelled from voicing my opinion on here. Simply everything I say gets deleted, even if it breaks no rule just because I have different view than the part line.

    Cancel culture at it’s worst and it’s right here on RaceFans. How sad.

    It’s incredible how the people espousing tolerance and diversity in reality turn out to be the most intolerant and narrow-minded.

    1. *party line

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