Sir Jackie Stewart denies F1 has a diversity issue

Formula One legend Sir Jackie Stewart has denied claims there is a major diversity issue within the sport after reigning world champions Lewis Hamilton hit out at the sport’s ‘institutional barriers’.

The Mercedes driver, and reigning world champion, has been vocal in his demands to encourage more diversity in Formula One, and last month announced the creation of the Hamilton Commission to help achieve this aim. 

But during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Thursday, Stewart played down talk of a problems with diversity and insisted education was the way forward.

F1 legend Sir Jackie Stewart has denied claims there is a diversity issue within the sport

Lewis Hamilton has been vocal in his demands for more diversity within Formula One

The three-time world champion, now 81, said: ‘I think Lewis has been a great example to lots of people. He’s quite vocal about these elements, I don’t think there’s as big a problem as there might seem.

‘There is no resistance for change if someone is clever and good at what they do. They will be accepted in Formula One.

‘What we need to do is be sure whatever colour, man or women, they have to be educated in that particular area of engineering and if we had different races wanting to get into Formula One they have to do it through education.’

Hamilton has been highly critical of motorsport’s lack of diversity in recent weeks, branding it as ‘white dominated’. He is just one of two drivers from the BAME community along with Red Bull’s Alex Albon who forms the 20-strong grid. 

‘Despite my success in the sport, the institutional barriers that have kept F1 highly exclusive persist,’ Hamilton said back in June.  

Hamilton has been at the forefront of protests against racism at the first two races of the year

The current world champion stormed to an easy win in Spielberg in the second race of the year

‘It is not enough to point to me, or to a single new black hire, as a meaningful example of progress. Thousands of people are employed across this industry and that group needs to be more representative of society. 

‘For this reason, I have been working with the Royal Academy of Engineering to create The Hamilton Commission, a research partnership dedicated to exploring how motorsport can be used as a vehicle to engage more young people from black backgrounds with Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects and, ultimately, employ them on our teams or in other engineering sectors.’ 

Following Hamilton’s plea, Formula One expanded on its new ‘We Race As One’ initiative by announcing it would plough $1million (£800,000) into helping those from under represented groups gain a career in the sport. 

And earlier this week ex-Force India deputy chief Bob Fernley also linked up with RoKit telecoms boss Jonathan Kendrick to unearth BAME engineering stars of the future.  

Former Force India chief Bob Fernley has started a project focusing on developing engineering talent from BAME backgrounds involved in motorsport

Fernley has put forward his Ensign F1 car, which finished sixth at the 1981 Monaco Grand Prix, to be run by students attending the National Centre for Motorsport Engineering (NCME) at the University of Bolton.

Forty-seven of the 196 students are from a BAME background.

Three-time Grand Prix winner Johnny Herbert will drive the students’ machine at a private test in Anglesey at the end of the month, with the hope of competing at the Masters Historic Festival at Brands Hatch next month and then the 2021 Historic Monaco Grand Prix.

Six-time world champion Hamilton has led protests against racism during the first two races of the delayed season.

The 35-year-old performed the Black Power salute after winning last week’s Styrian Grand Prix and has vowed to spend the remainder of his life fighting racism.

The Briton will be back in action at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the third round of the new season.