Lewis Hamilton has made it his mission to diversify his sport.
Hamilton, raised in North London, England, began racing at 8 years old and experienced a lack of representation in the sport firsthand. However, winning created an opportunity for him to feel accepted, he admits in conversation with GQ.
“Being the only Black kid on the circuit, struggling at school, really always my big drive was acceptance — ‘If I win the race, I will receive that acceptance in this world,'” he expressed.
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Hamilton began to allocate a lot of his time towards go-karting at a young age with the support of his father, Anthony, who was his mentor and manager, Formula 1 reports. Anthony simultaneously had three jobs at a time to support his son’s driving career. The sacrifice would pay off even within Hamilton’s childhood years.
“We won the first six races…Then we just kept going. We kept winning. We kept winning championships,” Hamilton said in a Mercedes video.
When he was 10 years old, Hamilton earned two trophies, becoming a go-kart champion in London. He then went on to rack up more accolades, winning eight championships across six years in kart racing and three major single-seater titles, including the GP2 Championship. In 2007 at 22 years old, Hamilton turned pro, kicking off his rookie year with McLaren, where he remained until 2012, the team’s website reports.
In 2013, Hamilton transitioned to the Mercedes Formula 1 team and went on to spend 12 years cementing his greatness in the sport, with 246 races, 84 victories, and seven drivers’ championships, according to ESPN.
Championing DEI
The Hamilton Commission: While at Mercedes, Hamilton was also supported in efforts surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). In fact, as the first Black driver in Formula 1, he made it his mission to increase diversity in the sport. His efforts went beyond race car driving, aiming to open doors for careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields crucial to advancing the sport.
The organization was launched in 2020 with the help of The Royal Academy of Engineering. The Hamilton Commission also produced a report, backed by 10 months of research and interviews, that examined the “recruitment and progression of Black individuals with UK motorsport.” The report offered key recommendations for improvement, including the creation of an innovation fund to address barriers to entry for Black students, targeted programs for Black students in post-16 education (encompassing both higher education and work-based training), and scholarships to support engineering degrees and related fields that will benefit Formula 1 teams and the wider motorsport sector.
“Through our Commission, we make ten recommendations which relate to shifting change within motorsport, maximizing early-stage opportunities for Black youth and providing additional careers education support to those who need it most,” Hamilton said in a statement on the report. “We know there is so much that needs to change when it comes to racial equality, but it’s impossible to tackle everything at once. Instead, we carefully chose these recommendations to ensure we have a focussed approach and, more importantly, recommendations that I can take responsibility for taking forward.”
He later added, “This report may mark the end of our ten-month research, but it is the beginning of a different phase, where our research and insights can help make motorsport a more diverse and equitable industry. We always had the dream of helping to enact change in this industry. We always had the passion, the focus. All we needed was to know the facts.”
These recommendations did lead to industry-wide changes. According to Sky Sports, Formula 1, all 10 F1 teams, and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) established a Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) charter in partnership with The Hamilton Commission. The charter is focused on four pillars: Attract, Retain, Create, Engage.
Furthermore, Formula 1 launched scholarships, apprenticeships, and internships for underrepresented groups, and the F1 ACADEMY was created to support the pathways of girls and women in the industry. According to information on the academy’s website, nine female participants are receiving financial support through the F1 ACADEMY Discover Your Drive program, and female participation overall increased by 25% in the 2024 season.
“Our sport is rightly recognized for its elite performance and innovation, and we are clear that the only way to maintain and improve those exceptional standards is to welcome diversity of thought, ideas, and experiences,” F1 President Stefano Domenicali said, per Sky Sports. “The sport is fiercely competitive, and we’re all committed to employing the very best talent. We know from The Hamilton Commission report that there are opportunities for us to work collectively to both find and nurture that talent, and across the sport significant change has already been put in place.”
Mission 44 Foundation
Beyond The Hamilton Commission, Mission 44 was created around the insights of the report. As AFROTECH™ previously shared, the foundation — also supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering — is expanding access to STEM and related careers, including motorsports engineering, to the next generation. Its reach extends beyond the United Kingdom, with initiatives in countries like Brazil and the United States.
Hamilton personally invested millions into the foundation to support its initiatives, including scholarships and assistance to over 33 organizations focused on education, employment, and youth empowerment.
AFROTECH™ Future 50
Hamilton has since transitioned to Ferrari in 2025 and is also a serial investor with a portfolio that includes companies such as MeliBio, Bramble, and TMRW Sports.
For this and more, AFROTECH™ recognizes Hamilton as a Legacy Leader, a title awarded to individuals who embody the qualities recognized in the AFROTECH™ Future 50 list. The list, launched in 2022, honors Black professionals making significant strides in the technology sector.
The Future 50 categories are:
- Dynamic Investors
- Future Makers
- Visionary Founders
- Changemakers
- Corporate Catalysts
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Apply Today
If you believe you are making an impact in the categories listed and, similarly to Hamilton, driving systemic change within your community, submit to be considered for the AFROTECH™ Future 50 list by April 11, 2025.
