Lewis Hamilton has become one of Formula One’s successful drivers and one of the greatest. Hamilton is now tied with Formula One great Michael Schumacher after recording his seventh world title win on Sunday.
Hamilton continues to blaze through the Formula One scene. Hamilton rode through the Turkish Grand Prix on a rainy Sunday for the win. The win allowed Hamilton to secure his 94th win and the record he set of most Grand Pix wins to 94. The win earned him his seventh world title win and tied him with Schumacher for most world title wins at seven.
Heading into Sunday, Hamilton needed to be eight points ahead of his teammate Valtteri Botas in order to secure his seventh world title. He was able to do so during his win after Botas finished 14th to earn zero points. The win continued to highlight how dominant he is in F1 racing. He has won 10 of 14 races this year, he won four in a row and secured the world title with three races remaining.
After his historic win on Sunday, he made an Instagram post highlighting his win but also his thoughts. In the post, he reflected on what the win meant to him but what it meant overall. “This year I’ve been driven not just by my desire to win on the track, but by a desire to help push our sport, and our world to become more diverse and inclusive,” he wrote. “I promise you I am not going to stop fighting for change. We have a long way to go but I will continue to push for equality within our sport, and within the greater world, we live in. Equaling Michael Schumacher’s record puts a spotlight on me that I know won’t be here forever. So, while you’re here, paying attention, I want to ask everyone to do their part in helping to create a more equal world. Let’s be more accepting and kinder to each other. Let’s make it so that opportunity is not something that is dependent on background or skin color.”
As Hamilton continues to make his mark in Formula One, he has used his platform to fight for equality and support the Black Lives Matters movement. As the face of F1 and the first and only black world champion in the sport’s 70-year history, he has become a force for change. Mercedes unveiled an all-black car this season to show solidarity for the Black Lives Matters movement. Drivers will wear all-black uniforms with the halos of the cars featuring an “End Racism” on it.
Hamilton has had a tough time in getting into the sport. His father had to work three jobs, use his life savings and remortgage their home in order for Hamilton to stay in karting. “It is no secret that I have walked this sport alone as the only person of color here,” he said. “When I was younger I didn’t have anybody in the sport that looked like me so it was easy to think that’s not possible to get there because nobody of your color has ever been there, you don’t see any black people in F1.”
Hamilton hopes to use his success as motivation for younger kids. “But hopefully this sends a message to the kids that are watching … that it doesn’t matter where you come from, whatever your background, it is so important to you to dream big,” Hamilton said. “You can create your own path and that is what I have been able to do, and it has been so tough. Tough doesn’t even describe how hard it has been.”
