Lewis Hamilton casts ‘long way to go’ inclusivity verdict after Ralf Schumacher coming out

While Lewis Hamilton, a very outspoken driver when it comes to diversity and inclusivity, praised Ralf Schumacher for coming out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, the Mercedes driver still says there’s “a long way to go” in sport.

For the past several years, Hamilton has utilized his platform to advocate for racial, gender, and sexual equality in the motorsport world. Ralf Schumacher coming out is a great step in the right direction — but Hamilton knows there’s work to be done.

Lewis Hamilton: Saying and being inclusive are two different things

Speaking to media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton had a very candid answer for a reporter that asked him Schumacher’s coming out shows that F1 is now an environment where people can be themselves.

“I think within sports, [inclusivity] still has a long way to go,” Hamilton said.

“It is one thing saying it’s inclusive, and it’s another actually making sure people feel comfortable in these environments.

“This is a male-dominated space and as far as I know he is one of the first to at least publicly be speaking in that respect.

“We are very inclusive within our team, but the sport does need to continue to do more to make people feel more comfortable, make women feel more welcome in this space, because I know they have not always been treated well in this space. So we can 100 percent do more.”

Hamilton, of course, isn’t discounting the courage it requires for anyone to come out; rather, he is pointing out the fact that there are still many barriers remaining before the sport can be considered truly inclusive.

Later in the press conference, Hamilton was pressed on what, exactly, the sport should do to improve accessibility.

“Off the top of my head, I won’t be able to come up with the solutions, but I do know, more often than not, it is about conversations, it is about dialogue with key stakeholders,” he said.

“It’s about analyzing how the accessibility is. It’s getting information from people who do or don’t feel included. It’s engaging in community.”

He suggested perhaps issuing anonymous questionnaires to fans or personnel in the paddock to gather their feedback.

“There’s a lot that you could do, but it is, firstly, speaking about it rather than ignoring that it is an issue, or have it at the bottom of the priority list,” he said.

Hamilton pointed to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal as an example; this year, he witnessed a person with disabilities using a bridge in an effort to get to a restroom that was being barred off by police.

Hamilton said he stepped in to speak with the officer, and then later asked to speak with race organizers to advocate for more inclusive facilities.

More on Ralf Schumacher’s coming out

👉 What Ralf Schumacher’s coming out says about the motorsport landscape

👉 Ralf Schumacher explains decision to come out: ‘I wanted to get the news out myself’

That being said, Hamilton praised Schumacher for taking the step to come out, and elaborated on what that means for the sport as a whole.

“Clearly he has not felt comfortable being able to say it in the past. It is definitely not a new thing,” Hamilton said.

“But it shows that we are in a time finally when we can take that step and don’t have to fear. And hopefully he will be able to say that he’s, I think, so far had only positive feedback from people [in F1] and that’s because of the time we’re living in and the changes we are.”

In the pre-race driver press conference with Nico Hulkenberg, Oscar Piastri, and Fernando Alonso, all three drivers echoed similar sentiments.

“ Obviously, it’s a very personal matter, but I congratulate that,” Hulkenberg said. “And if he’s coming out with that, there’s nothing wrong with that in modern times where diversity and everything is all to play for.

“So hate, there’s always going to be hate in the world, especially obviously online. That’s a place where people do and abuse it easily, where they can hide. That’s not great, not fantastic.

“But other than that, yeah, all good.”

Piastri shared similar sentiments, saying, “I think it’s great that he feels comfortable in coming out like that. I think that’s what we want as a sport, to be inclusive for everybody and have people feel safe in coming out or whatever is in their lives.

“So, yeah, congratulations to him and I think it’s a good thing.”

Fernando Alonso agreed, saying, “Total support from my side and I’m sure all the F1 community. And yeah, it’s great that he feels good, and we all feel good for him as well.”

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