The Hamilton Commission

As the only Black driver in the history of Formula 1 motor racing, Sir Lewis Hamilton was always aware of the lack of diversity across the motorsport industry. But this underrepresentation is not just limited to the driver pool, and also includes those who work in the garage and the engineers in the factories too. After reviewing the end of season photo in 2019, Lewis was spurred to take action himself and set out to understand the specific barriers to the recruitment and progression of Black people within UK motorsport. Lewis has been vocal about the need for real industry wide change, but in order for this change to happen, he needed to know the facts and understand where and what action will have the biggest impact. As a result, Lewis formed The Hamilton Commission, alongside The Royal Academy of Engineering, which presented an opportunity to simultaneously address the underrepresentation of Black people in UK motorsport as well as the STEM sector.