Lewis Hamilton is a man of his word, and time and time again he has proved it right. Knowing his struggles to grow up as the only black driver in Formula 1, Lewis has continuously worked for the welfare of the community. This time, a story of a young engineer working for Briton’s Extreme E team, X44, has testified for the actions of the Mercedes driver. 

Lewis Hamilton’s Racing for All program with Extreme E has salvaged young engineering student Jacob Alexander from obscurity and placed him in the seven-time world champion’s X44 squad, which won this year’s championship with rally legends Sébastien Loeb and Cristina Gutierrez. The program’s first participant to benefit from a job placement is Alexander.

The 20-year-old student’s selection was a successful result of the norms put forward by RFA after the recommendations of the Hamilton Commission, established by the driver in 2020. Upon winning the title with X44, Alexander, as quoted by Motorsport Magazine, said, “I believe working with a professional squad like X44 has and will really help my career in motor sport in terms of being recognised and having gained the real-world skills working on a team.”

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The story shows that meaningful affirmative actions can surely bring about a change in motorsports, which are heavily underrepresented by several sections of society. With actions planned in F1 and elsewhere, individual stakeholders must step up as well and contribute in their capacities and use the platforms for the betterment of society.

Lewis Hamilton’s direct involvement with his commission

The commission established by Lewis is not just for its namesake and has worked actively to bring about reforms wherever possible. Identifying Extreme E as an early opportunity for change, he took a step in the right direction, as evident from the story of Jacob Alexander.

Speaking about Hamilton’s involvement in the initiative, Stephanie Travers, the associate sporting director of X44, said, “Lewis is very involved within our team and the series as a whole.”
“Lewis personally reviewed Jacob’s application before the final interview process with the chief mechanic, and he wrote to Jacob once he was hired to ensure he felt welcomed to the team. Giving more people an opportunity to enter the sport is something he is very passionate about.”

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Despite the ban on political messages by the FIA, it is highly unlikely that Lewis will back down from speaking his mind and advocating for the right things. With consistent actions like his at the highest level of the sport, he can have a significant impact on inclusivity and diversity everywhere.

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