What is Hamilton Commission? All about Lewis Hamilton's initiative aimed at addressing the underrepresentation of Black people in UK motorsport

Lewis Hamilton is statistically one of the most successful drivers in the history of F1. However, the journey of the British driver to reach the world of F1 was not easy as his color imposed him to stereotypes. To counteract this, Hamilton had set up the 'Hamilton Commission' to increase the representation of black people in UK motorsport.

The commission was established in 2020, after Hamilton was taken aback by the lack of diversity in the 2019 end-of-season photo. He has made several calls to increase the diversity within F1 but decided to investigate the matter himself.

Hamilton Commission partnered up with the Royal Engineering Academy and prepared a report on the status of the underrepresentation of black people within the sport. The final report mentioned 10 recommendations, which included, via Formula 1:

• Asking F1 teams and other motorsport organizations to take the lead in implementing a diversity and inclusion charter for motorsport.
• Calling for F1 teams and motorsport bodies to broaden access to motorsport by expanding apprenticeship and work experience programs.
• Creating a new exclusions innovation fund to develop programs to reduce the proportion of students from Black backgrounds being excluded from schools.
• Supporting new approaches to increase the number of Black teachers in STEM projects.
• Launching scholarship programs to help Black graduates with degrees in engineering to progress to motorsport roles.

The commission's recommendations are understood to be the foundation for F1's diversity and inclusion charter, which was made formal last year.

Lewis Hamilton has been soaring the headlines, since he was seen wearing Ferrari overalls at the F1 75 event in London on February 18.

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Lewis Hamilton shares his experience of being a Ferrari F1 driver

Lewis Hamilton and Fred Vasseur at the F1 75 Live - Show - Source: Getty

Lewis Hamilton has been living his childhood dream since moving to Maranello last month. He has been behind the wheel of a hoard of Ferrari challengers.

The Briton has driven the SF-23 (2023 Ferrari F1 car), SF-24 (mule car), and the SF-25 for a shakedown run at the Fiorano circuit. He enjoyed his first few days at the prancing horses, and said, via Ferrari:

"My first few weeks have been absolutely incredible and I’ve seen first-hand the passion and dedication of the entire team, so the unveiling today of my first-ever Scuderia Ferrari HP car is really exciting. So much hard work has gone into preparing for the season ahead and we couldn’t be more hungry or determined to succeed.

"I came into the year with so much anticipation for this new chapter, and I’m even more energised now by the spirit and belief of everyone I’ve met over the past month. I couldn’t be prouder to be on this journey with them. I can’t wait to get out on track with Charles, push each other forward and do everything we can to take the team to the top."

Hamilton and Charles Leclerc will drive the SF-25 at the Bahrain International Circuit a week later during the pre-season testing. After this, the pair will get to drive the 2025 challenger during the Australian Grand Prix on March 16, where the British driver will want to leave a lasting impression on the grid.