F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Hamilton puts diversity Commission on its rails

Lewis Hamilton's diversity Commission that aims to identify the causes behind motorsport's lack of diversity is up and running with a few familiar names forming part of the 14-strong taskforce.

The Hamilton Commission was launched last June by the six-time F1 world champion as an initiative to use motorsport to "engage more young people from black backgrounds with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and, ultimately, employ them on our teams or in other engineering sectors".

The Commission's research efforts which formerly started on September 1 will run for nine months, with the project is being conducted in association with the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Hamilton will co-chair the Commission along with the academy’s chief executive Dr Hayaaun Silem, with former McLaren F1 team boss Martin Whitmarsh and former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch also sitting on the board's 14 experts.

"Since I began my professional racing career in Formula One, 14 years ago, I was the first driver of colour and to this day, sadly that is still the case," said Hamilton.

"However, what is more concerning is that there are still very few people of colour across the sport as a whole.

"In F1, our teams are much bigger than the athletes that front them, but representation is insufficient across every skill set - from the garage to the engineers in the factories and design departments.

"Change isn't coming quickly enough, and we need to know why.

"This is why I wanted to set up the commission and I'm proud to be working with the Royal Academy of Engineering and our incredible board of commissioners to identify the barriers facing young black people to take up STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) careers in motorsport. We are dedicated to this cause and together, we will make a change."

Martin Whitmarsh and Lewis Hamilton

The Hamilton Commission's co-chair Dr Hayaaun Sillem called it "a truly unique opportunity to drive transformational change on this crucial issue, and in the process to learn more about how we can enrich diversity in other parts of engineering and society".

Formula 1 has pledged to work with the Commission, having established earlier this year its own diversity foundation, with F1 chief executive Chase Carey personally donating $1m to kickstart the effort.

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

Recent Posts

Sebastian Montoya steps up to Formula 2 with Prema

Sebastian Montoya, the 19-year-old son of former Formula 1 star Juan Pablo Montoya, is set…

10 hours ago

Sauber finds its ‘Northern Star’ under Binotto’s leadership

When former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto took on the role of Chief Operating Officer…

12 hours ago

Leclerc hails a season ‘without missed opportunities' in 2024

Charles Leclerc concluded the 2024 F1 season with a sense of satisfaction, the Ferrari driver…

13 hours ago

Coulthard sounds alarm over FIA president’s rift with F1 drivers

Former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard has voiced his dismay at FIA president Mohammed Ben…

15 hours ago

The rapid rise and fall of Super Aguri in F1

Super Aguri's application to join Formula 1 became a reality on this day in 2005,…

16 hours ago

Ferrari's 2024 Season: Marked improvement and a fight to the finish

Ferrari roared back into contention in 2024 to deliver their strongest season in years, thanks…

17 hours ago