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Lewis Hamilton plans 'multi-year project' in F1 to improve diversity and bring more women into the sport
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Published 28/10/2022 at 16:49 GMT+1
Lewis Hamilton hopes to sign a long-term deal to stay at Mercedes and has no plans to retire from the sport any time soon. However while he is hopeful of getting back to winning ways on the track with the German team, he also wants to make sure that the issue of diversity is tackled in the sport, and he picked out the issues facing women who want to get involved.
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Video credit: SNTV
Lewis Hamilton plans a "multi-year project" with Mercedes as he rejected the idea of retirement and wanted to focus on bringing women into Formula 1.
Hamilton has been at the forefront of social awareness over several issues in motor racing, including diversity and sustainability.
However as a seven-time world champion he is also the record holder for most championships alongside Michael Schumacher.
The last two championships have been won by his Red Bull rival Max Verstappen, and this season Mercedes have been blighted by underperformance after an overhaul in car designs was better managed by Christian Horner’s team and by Italian team Ferrari.
Hamilton has failed to win a race this season but came closest last weekend in Austin, Texas, after leading for much of the competition before Verstappen claimed the win. There is just the event in Mexico to go this weekend, but the 37-year-old Briton’s optimism is undimmed.
Speaking to Formula before the race, he reiterated his recent comments that he wanted to keep racing for the foreseeable future.
“I think it will be a multi-year project,” he began. “There’s like this whole thing of retiring, that’s always lingering around. Honestly, I don’t like the idea of it and I don’t feel like I’m near it.
“We have a lot more work to do as a team. As individuals in the team. We have a lot more to do in the sport, I want to be a part of that shifting.”
He explained that he wanted to see more women in the sport, and not just as drivers, but as part of the engineering side of team setups.
“The work on the track and off the track, particularly things, we’re talking about diversity,” he continued. “We’re getting more and more women, it’s not just about drivers, it’s about finding out what those barriers are for women back here as engineers, as mechanics, and giving them a platform and giving them opportunities.”
Hamilton also explained that he was not just looking at matters of diversity for a reason to sign a new deal, but also because he wants to get back to success on the track as much as off it.
The winter break affords all teams the chance to do more testing and refining, and Hamilton believes that there are more opportunities coming for the German team, where he is partnered by fellow British driver George Russell.
"And we have a lot more winning to do," he concluded.
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