Antron Brown
Formula One F1 – Portuguese Grand Prix – Algarve International Circuit, Portimao, Portugal – October 25, 2020 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton celebrates after winning the race Pool via REUTERS/Jose Sena Goulao
Is this the year that Black racers become mainstream talents, rather than circulating on the fringe of the racing community? There are quite a few talented drivers in the sport – beyond seven-time Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton – who merit a second, third, fourth or even fifth look as they make their collective charges to the front of every grid.
Hamilton, of course, is the best known among outstanding Black drivers, the British knight finally receiving recognition from the UK’s royal family for his outstanding contributions to the sport. Who would have thought the child that McLaren’s Ron Dennis recognized for his talent early on would eclipse Michael Schumacher’s records and stand on the precipice of being the most successful F1 driver of all time?
Watching what Schumacher did with his Ferrari team, as Hamilton came through the ranks, the younger driver realized that it took more than driving exceptionally well to earn championships. Like Schumacher before him, Lewis Hamilton took the Mercedes-AMG team and melded it to to help him succeed in his quest for race wins and championships. That’s his team, not Toto Wolff’s or anyone else’s. He fashioned a squad that would go to the ends of the earth to help him, just as Michael Schumacher did with Ferrari.
What’s troubling is that Lewis Hamilton stands alone in his achievements. There isn’t another young Black racer in the pipeline to take on F1. Hamilton’s ridiculed for his fashion by those who are likely jealous of his talents, but it all comes across as rote bias. Hamilton’s work to engage more people of color and to end biases due to skin color have resonated with Formula One but still manage to pique those that don’t want to see a Black racer…
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