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As Racism & Sexism Daunt F1 Insider, “Valuable Ally” Lewis Hamilton Works Tirelessly to Uplift Women

Published 03/15/2023, 10:15 AM EDT

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With all the global attention the sport of Formula 1 is getting off late, the men and women of the sport are exposed to the entire world. Bring social media into the equation, and it gets trickier. Our society has been evolving on a path to recognize equality and inclusivity, but there is still some work to be done. Luckily for some, they have a global platform they used to aid this. A prime example is 7x champion, Lewis Hamilton. However, on the other side of the coin, there still remain certain vulnerable personalities within the sport who’ve had to deal with massive sexism and racial backlash.

One such unfortunate target of such depraved humiliation has been Sky Sports & F1 journalist, Naomi Schiff. The 28-year-old Rwandan – Belgian ex-racing driver has had to bear the burden of a lot of online hate and abuse. So much so that Hamilton himself had to step in to represent her. Back in 2022, Hamilton took to his social media account on Twitter to condemn this vile act of online hate. He wrote, “Naomi is an ex-professional racing driver & totally qualified to give her opinion as part of the Sky team. She’s been a great asset since joining & we should welcome more representative broadcasting with open arms. Still have a long way to go to change these attitudes in sport.”

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And Schiff hasn’t forgotten this. Givemesport.com recently quoted her as saying, “It’s super important for all of us to have male allies at the top of the sport. I feel very, very lucky to have Lewis as an ally while going through my journey in this industry. It’s incredibly valuable.” Hamilton has quickly become more than just a valuable ally for the presenter, too.

“I obviously really look up to him and I think he’s not just an incredible athlete but an incredible human and I think he has a lot to offer in terms of advice and support. He’s amazing.”

100th Podium & 33rd Win Termed Insignificant by Fernando Alonso as He Puts on Blinkers to End 16 Year Misery

Hamilton has become a champion for his causes in this sport. But he has one ultimate objective he hopes he can fulfill in this lifetime.

More than the 8th title, Lewis Hamilton wishes for this accomplishment

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Lewis Hamilton is on the cusp of getting that elusive 8th-world title. All he needs now is a car that can fight at the sharp end of the field. But as things stand, the 38-year-old has his eyes set on an even bigger target.

via Reuters

He was quoted by Sky Sports as saying, “My goal is that in the next five, ten years you’re looking back at the sport and I am watching TV, hopefully with my kids, and they see young women engineers and mechanics and they’ll know there is an opportunity.”

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Written by:

Anirban Aly Mandal

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Anirban Aly Mandal is a Formula 1 Author at EssentiallySports. In his pursuit for a Bachelor's degree in Law from Symbiosis Law School, he has written multiple academic papers centered around the domain of motorsports. Not only that, but due to his love for F1, he aims to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world some day.
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Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai