Lewis Hamilton Continues Push For Inclusivity In F1 After Ralf Schumacher Announcement

Lewis Hamilton praises Ralf Schumacher's public declaration of his same-sex relationship and emphasizes the ongoing need for inclusivity in Formula One.

May 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton (44) addresses the media in advance of the Miami Grand Prix at the Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports / John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Ralf Schumacher's public declaration of his same-sex relationship has sparked widespread support and a renewed dialogue on inclusivity in sports. Lewis Hamilton, a long-standing advocate for diversity within the world of motor racing, commended Schumacher for his courage while emphasizing that the sport "still has a long way to go."

Schumacher's decision to make his relationship public was described by Hamilton as a "positive message," hoped to "liberate others" to express themselves freely. This announcement comes at a time when Formula One is under increasing scrutiny over its approach to diversity and inclusion. Speaking to the media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton commented, as quoted by Sky Sports F1:

"I think clearly he's not felt comfortable being able to say it in the past and it's definitely not a new thing, but I think it just shows that we are in a time that finally you can take that step and don't have to fear.

"Hopefully he will be able to say that. I think so far [he has] had only positive feedback from people, and I think that's because of the time we're living in and the change we are.

"And that all started from Seb and I standing on the grid here, fighting against what the government's doing here, and when I was wearing the helmet in Saudi and Qatar.

"You know, even though Ralf said that it wasn't a good idea to do those things perhaps, today, he may have shifted his mind.

"Even him taking that step sends such a positive message and liberates others to be able to do the same. We need more and more people to do that."

However, Hamilton stresses the necessity for ongoing efforts to ensure true inclusivity and comfort in sports environments.

 "Within sports, I think it still has a long way to go.

"There is one thing saying that it's inclusive and there's another thing actually making sure that people actually feel comfortable in the environments.

"This is a male-dominated space and, as far as I know, he's one of the first to at least publicly be speaking in that respect.

"We are very inclusive within our team, but I think the sport does need to continue to do more to probably make people feel more comfortable, make women feel more welcome in this space because I know they've not always been treated well in this space.

"So we have to 100 per cent do more."

Hamilton suggests practical measures such as engaging in continuous dialogue with stakeholders, conducting surveys, and encouraging community engagement to better understand and address the concerns of those feeling marginalized.

"Off the top of my head I'm not going to come up with a solution because I don't have the solutions. But I do know that more often than not it is about conversations, it is about dialogue with the key stakeholders," he said.

"It's about analysing how the accessibility is. It's about getting information from people who do or don't feel included, it's engaging the community.

"You could do a questionnaire for every single person that's here with a few questions that ask them anonymously how they feel and what they feel that could be done.

"There's a lot that you could do. But it is firstly speaking about it, rather than ignoring that it is an issue or having it at the bottom of the priority list, actually bring it up and actually set some people a task."