EXCLUSIVE: Lewis Hamilton absence poses concerning F1 issue

A major issue has been discussed surrounding Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton as the 40-year-old looks to have signed with the final F1 team of his career.

Hamilton officially made the switch from Mercedes to Ferrari in January this year and is currently gearing up for his competitive debut in red at the Australian Grand Prix this weekend.

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2025 marks Hamilton's 19th season in the pinnacle of motorsport, and despite making it clear that neither his age nor the questions around his hunger to win have put him off sticking around, there is a wider issue at play once the racing legend does eventually decide to hang up his race suit.

When the former Mercedes star joined the sport in 2007, he burst onto the scene with McLaren and despite continuing to race over a decade later, there still has never been another Black driver on the grid, making Hamilton the first and so far only Black F1 driver in the history of the sport.

Always an ambassador for change, the seven-time champion launched The Hamilton Commission in 2021 with the aim of shining a spotlight on why there is a lack of diversity at the top level of the sport, both on and off the track.

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Sky Sports' Natalie Pinkham on post-Hamilton F1 era

The Ferrari star has not only paved the way to open up discussions over the lack of diversity in the sport, but he has also always uplifted women in motorsport.

The issue facing F1 however is that regardless of whether Hamilton can attain the illusive record-breaking eighth championship with the Scuderia, he will one day retire and step away from a day-to-day role.

So what does this mean for the future of diverse representation in F1?

Speaking ahead of the legend's debut season with Ferrari, Sky F1 presenter Natalie Pinkham discussed her experience as a woman in motorsport, and how Hamilton has shaped positive change, in an exclusive interview with GPFans.

"I think that the reason that he's been as good and visible and vocal as he has is because he's got seven world championships, he commands the back pages and the front," Pinkham declared.

"As a result, he sets the agenda, and you listen because he's a multiple world champion, but I do think there are really big personalities coming through.

"The likes of Lando, he doesn't shy away from difficult conversations around mental health so for him to talk about his own vulnerabilities I think was so powerful and if you think that every time that he gets another season under his belt, he grows, Max grows, Charles, they all do and they naturally will feel more confident about speaking out about issues away from the track."

Whilst the current F1 grid each possess their own positive qualities, only Hamilton has faced the challenge of navigating the sport as the first Black driver, an issue which Pinkham was quick to address.

"I think that it’s unlikely there'll be another Lewis. Even when, not if, because I'm sure his hard work will make sure that there's young black drivers coming through, even when that happens, he will always be the first and he'll always be using his platform in an iconic way and that for me shows the difference between good and great in terms of sports people are those that use their platform for good and he's done exactly that."

Sky F1 documented Hamilton's wholesome meeting at the US GP last year with 2024 FIA karting champion, Kenzo Craigie, with the then Mercedes man sharing his pride for the young Black driver via his personal Instagram page.

Continuing with her view on the future of diversity in F1, Pinkham warned: "There will be others coming through to take the baton from him, but it has to come authentically.

"It can't be like; ‘oh we must come through and push things forward’, it has to feel right and real for them.

"It's definitely something I’ve thought about a lot because ultimately, Lewis will want to hang up his race suit at some point soon, but hopefully not yet; he’s still got a few more years in him."

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here she realised her background in journalism and love of motorsport could be combined, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work more closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan which she hopes to build on.

View full biography

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