Will Lewis Hamilton's legacy of diversity and inclusion at Mercedes F1 live on after he leaves for Ferrari?
This is of course the wish of the British driver, and we do not see why Mercedes F1 would go back on these points. Moreover, all F1 teams have just committed to signing a charter for diversity and inclusion.
What is clear is that Lewis Hamilton will put pressure on Toto Wolff and Mercedes F1. When we ask him about his legacy in the team, about his greatest pride, he does not immediately think of his titles gleaned between 2014 and 2020.
“I think the thing I'm most proud of when I think about what I'm leaving behind, hopefully in a positive way, is the work we've done on diversity and inclusion. »
“From the first moment I sat down with Toto, he was open-minded, and the whole team was open-minded. All team members have completed diversity and inclusion training, and a dedicated diversity group has been created. »
“We started Ignite, and we really put our money where our mouth was, investing, and we now have a very, very diverse team, which I'm really grateful to have been a part of. »
“And when I sit down with Toto, I say to him, 'Look, when I leave, there won't be anyone in the room to have these difficult conversations with you, but I hope you continue,' and obviously he will. »
These difficult conversations are therefore those that Lewis Hamilton had when he criticized Toto Wolff for having a Mercedes F1 team that was still too unfeminine, or too “white”.
But of course, Lewis Hamilton also mentioned the sportsman: his consecutive constructors' titles between 2014 and 2021.
“And then on the track, I think it's naturally our resilience over the years and the continued quest for perfection. »
“I loved it. »
“The last few years obviously haven't been spectacular in terms of performance, but there are a lot of great things we've done, especially off the track. »
“And again, I think this has been a real test of time to show how resilient we are. »
“We are still here. We continue to be present. We continue to give everything we have. And that’s something to be proud of. »
A GP in Africa thanks to Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton's legacy could be seen on the calendar.
Still with the aim of diversity and inclusion, Lewis Hamilton would have obtained a promise from Stefano Domenicali: to have a Grand Prix in Africa. Probably in Rwanda or South Africa.
“He promised me.” he confides.
Stefano Domenicali also pushed hard for F1 to commit to diversity. Therefore Lewis Hamilton is one of his big supporters: he would not like Stefano Domenicali to leave his post, after already Greg Maffei, the CEO of Liberty Media.
However, doesn't the war that continues between Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Stefano Domenicali risk costing the Italian his job? What does Lewis Hamilton think of the turbulence at Place de la Concorde, when Mohammed Ben Sulayem has just fired race director Niels Wittich?
“I can't speak for the other drivers. »
“We're in a GDPA meeting, they probably won't talk about this sort of thing, except maybe with Niels, because consistency is something we always ask for. »
“And I don’t know why. Someone messaged me to tell me about all these changes. »
“I really hope Stefano doesn't leave, because he has been so decisive in these changes, in the progress that the sport is making. »
“I talked to him so much about organizing a race in Africa and he was really the one who promised me he would make sure it happened before I left, so it's important. »
“And also, you have to be aware of the work on diversity that we have done as well, so I really hope Stefano doesn't resign, because he has been fantastic and he knows the sport as well as anyone. »
“Greg (Maffei) has also been great in terms of coming in and really helping the sport grow. »
“He's been one of the leading figures in that regard, but all good things must come to an end and whoever they put in place, I just hope they have similar ideas. »
“Right now it feels like everything is falling apart with people leaving the private sector, but sometimes you have to shake the tree for some apples to fall. »
