Lewis Hamilton hails Ralf Schumacher but insists F1 has work to do on diversity

Lewis Hamilton has praised Ralf Schumacher’s decision to announce he was in a same-sex relationship but insisted Formula One still has a long way to go in encouraging further diversity and inclusion.

Earlier this week former F1 driver Schumacher, the brother of seven-time champion Michael, came out on social media but he is one of only four drivers to have done so since the championship began in 1950, highlighting the paucity of LGBTQ+ representation in the sport.

Related: Ralf Schumacher coming out will have a positive impact on ‘evolving’ F1 | Giles Richards

Rumours around Ralf Schumacher’s sexuality existed during his time in the sport between 1997 and 2007 and speaking before this weekend’s Hungarian GP, Hamilton appeared to intimate that Schumacher had not felt able to come out until long after he left the sport.

“Clearly he has not felt comfortable to say it in the past and it’s definitely not a new thing,” he said. “It just shows we are in a time that finally you can take that step and don’t have to fear. So far he has had only positive feedback from people and that’s because of the time we are living in.”

Hamilton has been outspoken in support of LGBTQ+ issues and rights in the past, specifically alongside Sebastian Vettel in Hungary in 2021 , with both drivers protesting against the government’s repressive LGBTQ+ laws. His determination to speak out on issues that concern him was criticised in the past by Schumacher, who called it polarising and dangerous, but the British driver still hopes the German’s actions would have a positive effect.

“The change all started from Seb and I standing on the grid, fighting against what the government was doing here,” he said. “Even though Ralf said it wasn’t a good idea to do these things, perhaps today he may have changed his mind. Him taking that step makes such a positive message, it liberates others to be able to do the same, we need more and more people to be able to do that.”

F1 is committed to improving inclusivity and diversity but Hamilton noted there was still much to be done.

“It still has a long way to go,” he said. “There is one thing saying it is inclusive, another thing actually making sure people feel comfortable in the environment. This is a male-dominated space and as far as I know he is one of the first to be publicly speaking in that respect. We are very inclusive in our team but the sport needs to continue to do more to make people feel more comfortable.”

On Thursday the Haas team also confirmed it would drop Kevin Magnussen for next season. The team has yet to announce who will replace him to partner the British driver Oliver Bearman , who will make his F1 full season debut in 2025.

It is believed the French driver Esteban Ocon is lined up to take the seat, with his contract at current team Alpine having not been extended for next season. The other Haas driver, the German Nico Hülkenberg, is to join Sauber in 2025, before it becomes the Audi works team in 2026.