F1 champion Hamilton creates commission to boost motorsport diversity

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has created a commission he hopes will address the lack of diversity in motorsport. Photo: Loren Elliott/Reuters

Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has created a commission he hopes will address the lack of diversity in motorsport. Photo: Loren Elliott/Reuters

Published Jun 21, 2020

Share

BERLIN - Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has created

a commission he hopes will address the lack of diversity in

motorsport.

Hamilton, writing in Britain's Sunday Times paper, said the

organization would be "dedicated to exploring how motorsport can be

used as a vehicle to engage more young people from Black backgrounds

with science, technology, engineering and mathematics," with aim of

being able to "employ them on our teams or in other engineering

sectors."

The 35-year-old Hamilton repeatedly raised his voice on the issue

racism since the death of George Floyd in American police custody

late May. He criticized "white dominated" F1 for its silence on the

topic, leading several of his fellow drivers to speak out.

In his column the Mercedes driver said the "institutional barriers

that have kept F1 highly exclusive persist," and talked of the racism

he had experienced in his own career.

"I'm used to being one of very few people of colour on my teams and,

more than that, I'm used to the idea that no one will speak up for me

when I face racism, because no one personally feels or understands my

experience," he said

dpa

Related Topics: