Britain’s seven-time world champion was spurred into action
after noticing the lack of diversity in an end-of-season photograph in 2019 and
subsequently set up the Hamilton Commission.
Hamilton, 36, has taken the knee before every race since the
beginning of last season and has persuaded his Mercedes team to paint its cars
black to highlight discrimination.
The commission’s report, Accelerating Change: Improving
Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport, asks for a diversity and
inclusion charter to be implemented by F1 teams and other motorsport
organisations.
Expanding the apprenticeship provision to include higher
apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships as an alternate pathway into the
sector are among the other suggestions to attempt to draw in under-represented
groups to F1.
Paid work placement and work experience schemes, as well as
supporting the creation of scholarship programmes to enable black graduates
from degrees to progress into specialist motorsport roles have also been
proposed.
Hamilton, the only black driver in Formula One, told the BBC
he hoped the findings would be “part of my legacy”.
“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,” 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 and then in the
long distance that can be a whole continent’s size. It could be huge.”
Hamilton said the commission, which included experts in
motorsport, education and engineering, had found that obstacles for black
people ran deeper than issues in gaining access to the sport.
“We realise it’s not just the motorsport industry that needs
to change,” said Hamilton. “We found there are still systemic issues facing
young black people at all levels of the education system.”
Defending champion Hamilton, preparing for this weekend’s
British Grand Prix, trails leader Max Verstappen by 32 points after nine rounds
of the 2021 championship.
AFP