Lewis Hamilton: F1 star wants more diversity in the sport

Video caption, Pupils ask Lewis Hamilton about his experiences in F1

F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton has commissioned a report to improve diversity in motorsport, calling it the "most valuable thing" he has achieved.

The report, done with the Royal Academy of Engineering, looked at barriers preventing young black people from working in the industry.

Hamilton's report gave a number of reasons for the lack of diversity, including issues with racism across motorsport.

Researchers also said that not enough black students were taking up subjects that lead to a career in the industry - such as science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) - beyond high school.

Hamilton's report made lots of recommendations to help increase diversity in motorsport; including making scholarships (paid-for places) in Stem subject courses available for students from diverse backgrounds.

The seven-time Formula 1 world champion said: "I would like to be remembered for much more than winning championships, which is an amazing thing on its own, but for actually helping people and changing the industry and the viewpoints."

Video caption, Hamilton wants to encourage more black people to work in the industry, like Stephanie, who is a F1 Technician

Why did Lewis Hamilton commission the study?

Back in 2019, when Hamilton finished his Formula 1 season, he noticed the lack of diversity in pictures taken by F1 teams so began his research work.

After the Black Lives Matter protests, seen across the globe after the death of George Floyd, Hamilton made his study public.

The report was created with the help of experts on education, motorsport and diversity.

As F1's only black driver Lewis Hamilton says he hopes that commissioning this study will become his greatest legacy.

He said: "We are all the same. We all bleed the same. There is no reason why it shouldn't be as diverse as the world around us. All it takes is the shift of the needle... It could be huge."

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, Lewis Hamilton at the Grand Prix of Austria

What did the report find?

The study said that barriers young black people face in their lives - through school and beyond - made it harder for them to achieve a career in the sport.

Lewis Hamilton said: "We realise it's not just the motorsport industry that needs to change; we found there are still systemic issues facing young black people at all levels of the education system."

But because F1 employers tended to choose students from top universities - where the majority of students are white - young black people were being overlooked for jobs in the industry.

The report also noted that no F1 employers, or bosses, kept a record of their team's ethnicities - so the number of black employees had to be estimated at just one in every 100. This suggests that diversity is seen as a priority in the sport.

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, The report comes with recommendations on how to improve access for minorities wanting to enter the motorsport industry

What advice does Hamilton's report offer?

The report says access for black students to Stem subjects needs to be improved.

By removing barriers that stop young black people from studying these subjects at a higher level students will be able to gain the right skills and qualifications to work in motorsport.

Hamilton's report also recommended:

  • F1 teams and the motorsport industry should agree to plans - or charters - to get more people from different backgrounds working in the sport.
  • Motorsport bosses need to make it easier to get into the industry by offering apprenticeships that let people learn on the job.
  • More needs to be done to stop the high proportion of students from black backgrounds excluded from schools. Exclusion means it is hard to finish school with the qualifications needed to continue to higher education.
  • Find new ways to encourage and support black students to study Stem subjects so they can access careers in engineering.
  • Create scholarship programmes - where your living costs and course fees are paid - for black students to study degrees in engineering and related subjects.

What does F1 think of the report?

F1 president Stefano Domenicali said: "We completely agree that we need to increase diversity across the sport and we have taken action to address this and will be announcing more actions in the coming days.

"We want a sport that is representative of our hugely diverse fanbase and that is why F1, the FIA and all the teams are working hard to deliver on our detailed plans to create positive change across the sport.

"There is always more to do and the report will stimulate thoughts about further actions that are required."