Lewis Hamilton says Ralf Schumacher has sent a “positive message” which he hopes “liberates others” after the former F1 driver announced he is in a same-sex relationship.
But Hamilton also believes F1 and sport in general still has a “long way to go” to keep improving inclusion.
Schumacher, a winner of six Grand Prix during a decade-long career and who remains involved in the sport as a leading TV pundit for Sky in Germany, posted on Instagram last Sunday an image of himself with his partner, Etienne, with the caption: “The most beautiful thing in life is when you have the right partner by your side with whom you can share everything.”
Hamilton, a prominent figure in attempts to improve diversity and inclusion in motorsport over recent years, was speaking on media day ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian GP, the venue where in 2021 the Mercedes driver and Sebastian Vettel spoke up for the LGBTQ+ community against a law limiting the teaching in schools about homosexuality and transgender issues.
The seven-time champion has almost worn helmets with the rainbow flag on at the Qatar and Saudi Arabian GPs, countries where same-sex relationships are banned.
Lewis Hamilton wore a rainbow-coloured helmet at Qatar Grand Prix in 2021
“I think clearly he’s not felt comfortable being able to say it in the past and it’s definitely not a new thing, but I think it just shows that we are in a time that finally you can take that step and don’t have to fear,” said Hamilton.
“Hopefully he will be able to say that. I think so far [he has] had only positive feedback from people, and I think that’s because of the time we’re living in and the change we are.
“And that all started from Seb and I standing on the grid here, fighting against what the government’s doing here, and when I was wearing the helmet in Saudi and Qatar.
“You know, even though Ralf said that it wasn’t a good idea to do those things perhaps, today, he may have shifted his mind.
“Even him taking that step sends such a positive message and liberates others to be able to do the same. We need more and more people to do that.”
Six-time F1 race winner Ralf Schumacher is now a pundit for Sky in Germany
‘We have to 100 per cent do more’
Asked if F1 was now a place where people could be themselves, Hamilton said: “Within sports, I think it still has a long way to go.
“There is one thing saying that it’s inclusive and there’s another thing actually making sure that people actually feel comfortable in the environments.
“This is a male-dominated space and, as far as I know, he’s one of the first to at least publicly be speaking in that respect.
“We are very inclusive within our team, but I think the sport does need to continue to do more to probably make people feel more comfortable, make women feel more welcome in this space because I know they’ve not always been treated well in this space.
“So we have to 100 per cent do more.”
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Lewis Hamilton says he will continue his journey in making Formula One a more diverse place following his future move to Ferrari.
Hamilton believes continued open dialogue with all stakeholders is the key to continuing to make progress to ensure everyone feels included.
“Off the top of my head I’m not going to come up with a solution because I don’t have the solutions. But I do know that more often than not it is about conversations, it is about dialogue with the key stakeholders,” he said.
“It’s about analysing how the accessibility is. It’s about getting information from people who do or don’t feel included, it’s engaging the community.
“You could do a questionnaire for every single person that’s here with a few questions that ask them anonymously how they feel and what they feel that could be done.
“There’s a lot that you could do. But it is firstly speaking about it, rather than ignoring that it is an issue or having it at the bottom of the priority list, actually bring it up and actually set some people a task.”
Ralf interviewing his nephew Mick Schumacher in 2022
‘We all feel good for him as well’ – drivers welcome Schumacher’s announcement
A number of other F1 drivers were asked on Thursday about Schumacher’s decision to come out, and said they were pleased for the 49-year-old.
McLaren’s Lando Norris said: “It’s a good thing. The same with every sport, when people are happier and consider their life a bit more in a good way without hiding things and feeling like people will say bad things and attack them.
“So from an inclusivity and diversity point of view, I know Formula 1, McLaren, we’ve pushed for it a lot over the last three-four years especially, the whole world kind of moved in that direction, and whether it’s this or talking about mental health and all these things, you just want people to live their life and be happy and not feel like they’re going to be judged.
“So very happy for him.”
Fernando Alonso and Ralf Schumacher on the podium together at the Australian GP in 2006
Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso, who like Hamilton raced against both Ralf and his brother Michael, said: “Congratulations to him. Total support from my side and I’m sure all the F1 community. It’s great that he feels good and we all feel good for him as well.”
While Daniel Ricciardo added: “I definitely do prefer the times we are in now. For someone to have the comfort to be themselves, ultimately.
“That’s all what we’re trying to do in this world, to be yourself, and I feel for people who maybe feel like they can’t and express themselves fully. You want to live your life to the fullest.”
