A week ago, Lewis Hamilton, one of Formula One’s most successful drivers, made his debut with the most well-known and accomplished team in motorsport history. Although fans had long wished to see Hamilton in Ferrari red throughout his record-breaking years in F1, the announcement of the British driver’s transfer to the Italian team was met with shock. Indeed, Ferrari is defined by tradition. The team has been present since Formula One’s creation in 1950. Out of 75 years of racing, 28 were led by non-Italian team principals (a Swiss, a Monegasque, and two French). Ferrari is known for its history, and its commitments: to Italians, to its roots, and its habits. It is less known for ground-breaking changes. Beyond his unparalleled achievements on the track, Hamilton is known for his unconventional personality, defying norms outside of Formula One, and his fight for diversity in the sport and beyond.
Hamilton was born in Stevenage, England in a modest-income household to a second-generation British father of Grenadian parents, and a British mother. Unlike most drivers who begin racing around the age of four, Hamilton started at eight years old, as a hobby. However, his interest quickly picked up, leading him to take racing seriously. By the age of ten, Hamilton was a British karting champion which led him to be recruited as part of the McLaren and Mercedes-Benz Young Driver Support Program. This opportunity allowed his parents to overcome the nearly unaffordable cost of pursuing their son’s racing career. Indeed, his father worked up to three jobs, day and night, to keep up, adding further pressure on his child’s shoulders to succeed. As years passed, he went on to win several prizes and championships in various racing categories, eventually making his way into Formula One in 2002 with McLaren.
Despite the challenge of competing against drivers with better-suited and longer experience allowed by significantly higher family incomes, Hamilton instantly showed champion-worthy performance. In his rookie year, the British driver only lost the World Championship title by a point and went on to win it the following year. The next hallmark of Hamilton’s career is his move from McLaren to Mercedes, replacing racing legend Michael Schumacher. In his thirteen years with the team, he won six world championships (matching Schumacher’s world record) and broke the records of most: wins, pole positions, and podiums (respectively: 105, 105, 202).
However, after five years of undisputed dominance, Hamilton began to face challenges with his rival, Max Verstappen, falling to second, sixth, back to second, and finally seventh in the championship rankings in the past four years. In 2024, he terminated his contract with Mercedes. Soon after, Hamilton signed with Ferrari, the abruptness of the news shocking the world of Formula One. The combination of Hamilton’s age (forty years old) and his decrease in performance suggested he would lean towards retirement, rather than be offered a seat by an elite team such as Ferrari.
Hamilton has always publicly spoken about and fought against the racist comments he would receive while racing in Formula One from fans and officials. His actions became concrete in 2020, particularly after George Floyd’s murder. That season, Hamilton led pre-race ceremonies to raise awareness about racism. However, realizing the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s actions were insufficient, Hamilton made it his responsibility to take on more meaningful projects. In June 2020, Lewis Hamilton founded the Hamilton Commission with the Royal Academy of Engineering for “improving the representation of Black people in UK motorsport.” The commission released an analytic report investigating the sources and consequences of the under-representation of Black people in STEM with an emphasis on motorsport. According to the report, Black individuals represent less than 1 per cent of Formula One staff and 5 per cent of engineering students, where Black students make up about 25 per cent of the university from which Formula One teams recruit. Additionally, the report provides recommendations to allow more support and opportunities for Black individuals in STEM. Later, Hamilton launched Mission 44, “a charity working to build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world,” collaborating with a wide range of associations. Unlike the Hamilton Commission, Mission 44 is more action-based, with concrete solutions put into place to actively improve diversity and inclusion in motorsport and STEM, particularly by investing in its charity partners.
Hamilton’s range of involvement reaches beyond Formula One and STEM, especially to fashion. The F1 champion has long demonstrated his love for clothes in and out of the paddock, but his most recent accomplishment in linking fashion to his values is being endorsed with the role of co-chair of the upcoming MET Gala this year: “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.”
Over the past two decades, Lewis Hamilton has not only become one the greatest drivers in Formula One history despite being an outcast, but he has also become a serious advocate and supporting figure for minorities in motorsport and beyond. Lewis Hamilton is a unique change maker, breaking conventions, somewhat opposite to his new team, the arbiters of tradition, Ferrari. His career is not only marked by his remarkable performance on the track but also by the challenges he’s faced as the grid’s only Black driver and his initiatives for more diversity and inclusivity in the sport and beyond.