When Lewis Hamilton joined Formula 1 in 2007, he became the first person of color to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport. To this day, he’s still the only one. Over the years, seeing how Black representation didn’t increase in F1 or the motorsport industry in general, the seven-time champion started using his influence to help promote inclusion in this highly competitive industry. 

Through his efforts, most notably setting up the Hamilton Commission in 2020, he not only helped increase diversity in the motorsport industry but also inspired young guns with similar backgrounds as his to find their way to greatness. One of them was the 23-year-old American sensation, Myles Rowe.

Lewis Hamilton-like Myles Rowe takes the world by storm

In F1, it’s Hamilton driving change. In IndyCar-sanctioned USF Pro 2000 (the American equivalent of F3), it’s Myles Rowe, a driver who’s looked up to the seven-time world champion. In addition to his Hamilton-like racing pace, he’s also been breaking racial barriers since he joined the series in 2021. With his first win in the series, he became the first African-American to win an IndyCar-affiliated race. But that’s not all.

With how well he’s been doing in the series, there has been a significant cultural shift in the audiences that tune in to watch the USF Pro 2000 series. As monumental as that effect has been, it was what Rowe recently achieved that caught Hamilton’s attention. The Pabst Racing with Force Indy driver became the first African-American to win a major American open-wheel racing series when he achieved that feat on Saturday at the Portland International Raceway. IndyCar’s official Instagram handle posted that achievement on its page, captioning it, “HISTORY IS MADE 🏆 Myles Rowe becomes the first African American to win an open-wheel championship after clinching the USF Pro 2000 title.” 

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To congratulate the young driver he’s inspired, Hamilton reposted the post on his story with a “🙌🏾” and showed his appreciation. Needless to say, the seven-time champion would’ve been proud to see how much diversity is growing in the motorsport industry. With everything he’s done to improve the situation, it won’t come as a surprise that Rowe isn’t the only person Hamilton has positively influenced in the motorsport industry recently.

Lewis Hamilton inspired a McLaren young gun with his diversity efforts

As soon as Hamilton stepped into the motorsport industry—and even as a kid rising through the ranks—he realized the lack of Black representation and inclusivity in all its forms. This made him advocate for diversity as much as he could, helping so many young kids like Myles Rowe. Another one of them was McLaren’s Social Media Executive, Joe Onyuma.

In an interview with F1 that focused on the untold stories of influential people working in the sport, Onyuma talked about the challenges he faced growing up and how Hamilton helped him overcome them. He said, “There was unconscious bias. I felt like maybe, sometimes, within certain scenarios, people might assume certain things of me before they met me. Initiatives that have been shared by people like Lewis Hamilton around diversity and inclusion have been really priceless.. Seeing someone like Lewis being so successful growing up was really good to see. As a kid, seeing is believing.”

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Lewis Hamilton has been beyond inspirational for people all around. What do you think about all the efforts he’s taken to make motorsports more diverse?