Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton just announced a shocking move to Scuderia Ferrari from Mercedes on February 1st. To put it in perspective for non-F1 fans, that’s like Zayn leaving One Direction or Taylor Swift deleting her entire Instagram feed in preparation for “reputation.” It’s a pretty big deal.
And for non-F1 fans, Hamilton is a class act. He currently holds the record of most races won by a single driver and is tied for most world championships with Michael Schumacher. He first made his Formula 1 debut in 2007 as the first black driver in the series’ history, and since then, wore a rainbow helmet in protest of anti-LGBTQ laws and spearheaded the “We Race As One” campaign that surged in response to the Black Lives Matter movement. As a predominant face of the sport, he hopes to diversify every aspect of motorsport, from the drivers to the mechanics to the reporters.
“But it’s not about finding one female driver. There’s thousands of jobs here. And very, very few high positions particularly for women,” he said.
After seeing a huge influx of female fans yet stagnant number of women involved within the sport, Formula 1 inspired organizations such as Females in Motorsport and Girls Across the Grid, two platforms promoting women in motorsport, such as the 24 year-old host of the Going Purple podcast, Lissie Mackintosh. Starting out as a social media content creator, her motorsport expertise videos have garnered almost a million followers across platforms and received attention from Formula 1 themselves, becoming the sports’ newest TV Presenter and fan favorite F1 girly.
“I saw Lewis Hamilton talk about this the other day, that if you sit down and watch the race, all you see are 20 male drivers on the grid and male team principals,” she said in an interview for Females in Motorsport. “You don’t see all these incredible women enough.”
Hamilton still encourages women throughout the sport, praising F1’s all-girls feeder series, F1 Academy, for the tremendous strides taken in just one season. The series, which held six races around the world in 2023, will now be endorsing one driver from all 10 teams in Formula 1, making it easier to increase the female talent pool in motorsports.
“This landmark moment not only demonstrates the depth of support for F1 Academy from across the F1 community but will inspire a whole generation of young girls to realize the opportunities both on and off track in motorsport,” Hamilton said.
As the fastest-growing sport in the world, Formula 1’s demand for diverse talent still leaves room for improvement, but whether he drives for Mercedes or Ferrari, Lewis Hamilton will always be on the same team as women.