Hamilton creating 'tangible change' with equality efforts

Sam Hall
Friday 25 November 2022 12:28

Lewis Hamilton's efforts to increase equality in motorsport have been hailed as having a 'tangible' impact in lower formulae by Praga Cup UK driver Ruben Stanislaus.

The British 18-year-old is the subject of a two-part BBC documentary that will be released on Friday, November 11 and December 9, that follows the journey of both him and team-mate Lewis Appiagyei as they attempt to create a career as black racing drivers.

Much has been made of the lack of diversity in both the F1 paddock and the wider motorsport community, and Hamilton has been a leading light in demanding and creating change in this regard through the Hamilton Commission and Mission 44.

Although accepting that change will always take time to filter down from the top, Stanislaus revealed to GPFans that this is now beginning to happen.

Asked if he had felt a tangible impact from Hamilton's efforts, he said: "Definitely.

"Just seeing someone in the position and also coming from the same places as him - his grandparents are from the same places as mine are, from Trinidad and Granada as well.

"So it's almost as though we are very similar in our backgrounds, where we come from with humble beginnings.

"And just to see someone make it, the best F1 driver in history, and to be from a similar place to me, that alone was amazing.

"Because there are times when you doubt yourself and you think, 'Is it going to be possible?'.

"So to just see that was more than enough for me."

Highlighting the importance of visibility, Stanislaus added: "Within the racing world, you're seeing more black people around, whether it's within the teams - especially when I went to [Mercedes factory in] Brackley, I was surprised to see workers there that were black, mixed, all different cultures.

"When I had the interview with Lewis, he said it wasn't necessarily like that before he got there. So to see that he is making that impact, not just on the grid itself but throughout the whole of motorsport, it starts at the top and then it can feed down.

"But until you can have that structural change at the top, nothing can change.

"So his work has done a lot."

BBC documentary 'refreshing and wholesome'

'We are England' - Born to Race - will be broadcast on BBC One in selected UK regions at 19:30 on Friday evening with the second part broadcast two weeks later, but will be available everywhere via the iPlayer half an hour later.

Asked what can be expected across the two parts, Stanislaus added: "I've not seen the full documentary myself yet either, so it's a bit new to me but from what we've been filming, it looks like a very wholesome programme.

"It's refreshing. It's not stuff that you really see on TV. Often when you watch motorsport, you see the glamour side of it, you see the finished product and this shows the stages that you have to go through, the challenges of being in motorsport, not even from a black background but for everyone in motorsport.

"But also the extra challenges that you have as a black driver on the grid, the financial challenges but also life off the track as well.

"There is a lot of family focus with how much my family has helped.

"They really capture me as a driver and me off track as well and how I apply that in the racing world."