“We can use this action to change for the better,” Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes launch joint initiative ‘Ignite’ to promote diversity within motorsport 


“We can use this action to change for the better,” Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes launch joint initiative ‘Ignite’ to promote diversity within motorsport 

Lewis Hamilton

The controversy around Lewis Hamilton and Nelson Piquet has given us a reality check about the fact that despite all of the efforts, racism continues to plague our society. If eminent personalities like Lewis Hamilton can be publicly subjected to such racist remarks, then it’s logical to think that the effect of racism would be much more at the grassroot level. Therefore, there’s an urgent need for the motorsport industry to look into the matter.

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The seven time world champion, Lewis Hamilton, has been very open about the kind of treatment he used to get being a black in what has been a white man’s sport. In one of his interviews, he had confirmed that he was subjected to racially abusive remarks on a daily basis and needed to have a really thick skin in order to walk up that ladder of success.

Just think about a situation in which the young Lewis Hamilton would have given up. It would have been a calamity as the world would have been deprived of getting to watch one of the greatest drivers, if not the greatest, to get behind the wheel of a F1 car. Therefore, it becomes the duty of the sport to provide drivers with an equal opportunity and Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are working towards that goal.

Also Read: “There’s no place for this toxic racist bile,” Fans demand Nelson Piquet to be banned from F1 paddock after calling Lewis Hamilton a ‘black guy’

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Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes launch a joint initiative to promote diversity and equality in motorsport

Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton
Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton has decided not to be bogged down and instead use this incident to his advantage. After the launch of his joint initiative, Ignite, with Mercedes, he said, “The events of this week have shown us why there continues to be an urgent need to push for better representation in our industry.

“More than ever we must focus on how we can use action to change motorsport for the better and this is an exciting next step. “I’m very proud to see Ignite announcing our first two grants today.”

There has been a lot of work behind the scenes since launching and I’m delighted that Mercedes and I can continue to demonstrate our commitment towards creating a more diverse industry in this way.

Nobody can deny that stern steps are needed to be taken to bring equality in the real sense and not on a sheet of paper. Therefore, it’s pleasing to see Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton working together to bring about a substantial change in the society.

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Also read: Lando Norris feels Montreal was a reflection of where McLaren’s current standing

Also read: “Max doesn’t know what I am talking about,” Lewis Hamilton bluntly responds to Max Verstappen’s porpoising comments