Lewis Hamilton raises concern over F1 slowly distancing itself from fans and becoming less accessible
Lewis Hamilton has raised concerns about Formula 1 becoming too expensive and exclusive for everyday fans amid the sport's growing popularity and appeal to richer crowds and celebrities.
The seven-time world champion has expressed his worries over the sport getting out of reach for regular people who may not be able to afford the skyrocketing prices of attending a Grand Prix. The Brit said (via RacingNews365):
"I would say that races are like some of the European races, for example, where you've got people that are coming, it's less celebrity [centric]. There's still a lot of celebs that do turn up to the grid, but I think we always need to make sure that it's accessible and it's not so far out of reach for people that also work very hard for their money but maybe can't afford it to get to a race weekend."
F1 has seen a significant rise in viewership in recent years which has led to them hosting races at newer venues such as Las Vegas and Saudi Arabia. These venues have come under fire for pricing out many fans with exorbitant ticket prices.
Lewis Hamilton emphasizes the importance of making F1 accessible and inclusive for the next generation
Lewis Hamilton also spoke about the importance of diversity and inclusion in F1. While he praised F1's recent initiatives to be more inclusive, the 40-year-old stressed the need to keep making the sport more open and welcoming, especially for children from all backgrounds.
Hamilton believes showing kids they belong in F1, regardless of their background, can inspire the next generation to dream big and aim for careers in the sport (via RacingNews365):
"It’s great to see Formula 1 starting to work on diversity and inclusion. It’s about giving kids access and showing them that it doesn’t matter where you’re from—you belong here. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll see those kids growing up and working in F1."
The new Ferrari driver has been a vocal supporter of social change and has founded several initiatives to help support more inclusiveness in F1, including Mission 44, intending to build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people.
Hamilton also mentioned that a lot of work is yet to be done:
"We've got a lot of work to do to make sure that the place is more inclusive and people feel comfortable in the environment, and then people that do get hired actually can sustain [themselves] and actually keep their jobs."