Interview: Hamilton on his future and his biggest challenge

Before the 2020 Formula 1 season even got underway, Lewis Hamilton explained that winning the title in this year
 of years would mean more to 
him than those which have 
come before.

It's not just the COVID-19 pandemic, the results of which mean Hamilton has won brand new events on a vastly different calendar to the original and usual
 F1 schedule.

When the push for racial equality promoted by the Black Lives Matter movement was put into the spotlight by the appalling killing of George Floyd in May, world sport moved to help articulate the urgent need to end systemic racism. And Hamilton, as F1's only black driver, led the way at the pinnacle of motorsport - keeping the necessary conversations going, however uncomfortable they may make some individuals feel.

He reveals it hasn't been easy - and neither has his quest to stay ahead of charging younger rivals with his all-conquering Mercedes squad. But he wouldn't want it any other way.

GP Racing: It's fair to say 2020 has been a unique year with the coronavirus pandemic, but this season has also featured the fight for social justice coming to F1. What has been the greater challenge for you - finding further on-track improvements or working to promote Black Lives Matter?

Lewis Hamilton: Naturally, fighting for a world championship
 is always one of the toughest challenges, but I would say probably the social injustice one is the biggest challenge. 
And quite far ahead of the racing one. Because racing only involves, relatively, a small group of people around the world.

Social injustice covers the world - it's nearly eight billion people. So that's a much bigger issue that's... not come to 
light, but it's been given the microphone and given attention. And keeping [the fight] alive has been, I think, challenging for many people around the world - to not let it die a quiet death.

"I'm having to speak about [racism] a lot more and you're often saying the same thing - that takes a lot of conversation, having the same conversations with different people who don't understand" Lewis Hamilton

It's systemic all around us - in most companies, in most, if not all, industries. There's a lot of accountability that's needed to take place. So that has been energy-sapping.

GPR: How have you found balancing things on a personal level - have you compartmentalised your work as an F1 driver and the fight for equality? Or is it a constant thought process?

LH: Well, I've lived with this my whole life, so nothing's really changed. Now, people are listening. If this was last year, and I perhaps mentioned something, people would question [it].

For anybody out there that would say 'there is social injustice, and in different areas', people - back then - would try to shoot them down. Whereas this year, those people are not allowed to - the backlash has been high. Which is awesome because then it means that we can push for real change.

I remember the first time I experienced it [racism] - I was five years old, so I've had it my whole life. And it's just really great to be able to be a part of something that is so powerful, which I really hope will affect the world for the future.

Naturally, the kids are the future and it takes time for things to shift. So [for] our generation, it's not really going to change perhaps a huge amount, but we can work and put effort to pushing for change for the youngsters.

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GPR: You said it has been 'energy-sapping' - have there been specific times you've thought 'this is taking a lot out of me?'

LH: [There have been] many times in my life when I've tried to speak about it, but now I'm having to speak about it a lot more and you're often saying the same thing - that takes a lot of conversation, having the same conversations with different people who don't understand.

There are a lot of people that still don't understand and having that conversation and trying to break down the walls certain individuals put up, to then find a common ground so that you can come together and work towards the same cause - that takes energy. It would be great if you could do it on a bigger scale, but one-to-one conversations are usually where the real breakage [happens].

That's where things get broken down and you can move forwards. That just means you're having a lot of the same conversations.

GPR: Have you had to train yourself to be patient with people responding to you? We sometimes feel like reaching through the internet and shaking those responding horribly to your posts or news stories about your words...

LH: Ultimately you have to be... Of course, it can be frustrating when [that happens]. But it's two ways. And if I don't understand something, and someone's trying to tell me something, it can be frustrating for them.

So what I'm trying to be conscious of is that it's not necessarily everyone's fault that they perhaps don't understand things. Because the environment they've been brought up [in] it perhaps was not spoken about before, maybe they've not got friends who have experienced the inequality - so perhaps it's been harder to see.

So rather than get angry at them and try to kneejerk, I'd rather try to have an understanding that they might just not really know. And it's more just about people being uneducated.

"The one thing that I can control is what I do. And I'm constantly trying to understand myself more, things that I care about more, and think: how I can have an impact?" Lewis Hamilton

But [I'm] trying to speak towards them in the right way - that it's not trying to belittle them, that it's trying to get them onboard. And there are a lot of people out there with really powerful voices, who continue to shoot things down and 
put the wrong messages out there. So, I'm just trying to encourage people out there to take the time, if they can.

I think collectively the world is a better place when we all unite and things are equal for us, and we're all working towards the 
same goal. But, obviously, there's so many different goals out there, so many different issues. For some people, it's not a priority. For others, it is.

GPR: After launching your X44 Extreme E team you responded patiently to people who snipe 'You're an F1 driver, how can you preach about the environment?'. How did it feel saying that?

LH: Well, It's not really about the response. At the end of the day, the one thing that I can control is what I do. And I'm constantly trying to understand myself more, things that I care about more, and think: how I can have an impact?

How can I affect change? How can you change things in your own ecosystem first and foremost? How can you educate yourself more? What more can you read, so you have better facts? 
I just generally focus on trying to be the best I can be.

I'm so blessed to be in the position I'm in and to have the job that I have. But I'm conscious there's so many people out there who don't have a job. And so I have to understand that there's a responsibility there - [that] everything is not all for me.

I've got this opportunity to be able to positively interact with people around the world who are doing well, people that are not doing so well, people that are super-struggling. It's [about] having the empathy, creating a bridge of that communication and that dialogue so that you can help people get across those hurdles. Because there's so many hurdles in life.

But the [Extreme E] racing team, for me it covers so many grounds. It's going to five different places around the world to really raise the issue of the climate crisis. [While] you've got certain individuals and world leaders who say that global warming is not real, there's obviously a lot of science out there. We've got to continue to push the electrification of vehicles, 
the actual battery technology.

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This is a platform to do that. 
At the same time, when I had the [first] meeting with Alejandro [Agag, Extreme E CEO and Formula E co-founder] I was like, 'Diversity is a massive key - why is it only just one driver? We should have a male and a female'. We have that in place [now], so it's a real collaboration with Alejandro. And I really have a huge amount of respect for him and what he's doing. He's a pioneer and an entrepreneur, creating something impactful.

I'm super-excited about the team. I'm going to try and make it as diverse as possible - create an opportunity for having a diverse group of mechanics. It's not a big racing team like what we have at Mercedes, but it could be the start of something. People can say what they want. I think actions, hopefully, speak louder than words. I won't always get it right - I'm not perfect. But I'm trying, and I'm definitely learning as I go.

GPR: On the subject of owning your first team, but also your music interests as XNDA [Hamilton revealed in July he is the featured artist on Christina Aguilera's 2018 track 'Pipe'] - are you looking to the future beyond F1 more than ever?

LH: I'm trying to find a balance. I like to live life day-by-day because you just never know when your days are up. And I've had people pass in my life who have said 'I was planning to do this and that, and I ran out of time'. This year, I'd say more so than ever, there's been a huge focus on the present.

However, yeah, I generally like to be forward-thinking - I'm so excited about what the future holds. But also, as I get older, I'm aware things take so much time to put in place. So, if there's something I want to do, some things could take five to 10 years, maybe even more - I need to make sure I'm trying to strategically put the foundations in place now. But at the same time, [I'm] being present.

I love my job, I love racing. [Even during] this difficult time, communicating with engineers, and really trying to pick up on the nuances of what makes my sport and the technology that we work with move. Everyone's on high alert with this whole COVID [thing] - the whole working environment has shifted. But at the core of it is racing, which we all love. And I'm so grateful that I get to do that.

"I would say this year more than ever, we've shown that the best team is not just the team that's winning. It's also the team that's really looking in deep, and having the biggest impact in the shift around the world" Lewis Hamilton

GPR: Going back to an important moment in 2020 - how did you feel when Mercedes agreed to change the livery of the W11 to all-black in support of Black Lives Matter?

LH: I was honestly blown away that the team listened. I guess [they] heard my case and opened their eyes, saw what was happening out there, and acted. A lot of people out there refuse to believe there is social injustice - systemic racism. Others 
just refuse to believe it even if it would slap them in the face.
 I was just incredibly proud.

Specifically, because of the journey that we've been on and how far we've come together, and really proud to be a part of this working group that is open-minded in wanting to move forwards and push for change in a positive way. See, not only are we the best team... I would say this year more than ever, we've shown that the best team is not just the team that's winning.

It's also the team that's really looking in deep, and having the biggest impact in the shift around the world. Fighting for human rights is one of the biggest things we can do. I was just really proud of them.

What we do in the future, I don't know, but I can tell you that at least while I'm with the team, I will continue to be pushing the team to evolve in how we get the messaging right. That's how we can impact people in the best possible way, how we
can help guide those that follow us into a more conscious 
way of thinking in life.

GPR: Do you think you're getting better as a driver and improving, still, as the years go by?

LH: I'd be lying if I was to say I wasn't improving. I mean, if I weren't getting the results, and then perhaps it wouldn't be improving, but I can't stay still. This sport doesn't stay still, technology is constantly evolving.

There's an underappreciated workload that goes on for the people in the background - and for the drivers in terms of interpreting the tools that we have. The detail to which we go to try and adjust small things - a millimetre here, half a millimetre there of ride, for the shift of the front end, whatever it may be.

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Each year, I get this new set of tools and have to study - like anybody has to study - to be on top of those things [and] try to be ahead of the [other] drivers. I could just sit back on my world titles and think: 'I'm pretty good'. But that's not how my mind works.

My mind is: 'Geez, these guys are chasing me, how do I stay ahead? 
How do I help push the team to stay ahead'. That's a really big process, because we can go down the wrong road if we rest on our laurels. It's definitely not easy, but who'd want it easy?

GPR: You've achieved so much in F1 - this year surpassing Michael Schumacher's win record. Are there any targets left?

LH: The only real target left, I would say, is... the real main target: why I'm doing the Hamilton Commission [which Lewis is creating with the Royal Academy of Engineering, to identify key barriers to recruitment and progression of black people in UK motorsport, and how to overcome them]. It's to try to leave this place with changes that will make it a more diverse sport.

So, if I come in 5-10 years time I won't be the only person of colour in this sport and it will be more diverse. Hopefully these teams will be more diverse and continue to progress.

It's [about] having a sport that is reflective of society and the outside world. Yes, our world is multicultural - lots of different colours and people from different religions - and we don't see a lot of women here [too]. I hope in years to come you see [that] women have high up roles, you see people of colour that can also be in high up roles. [It goes] from mechanics to catering because you don't see that [either] - even to marshalling.

There's a lot of work that needs to be done. It goes back to accountability at the forefront. And then 'how can we implement and make changes? What are the barriers? Where are they? Why is the hiring process not as big a net as it should be?'

And even in your world - I think in my whole F1 career I've seen one black guy that's been [working as a journalist]. OK, we've got a couple reporters that are behind the camera, but you know I just hope that in 10 years time [it's different].

That's my mission. I think that's my purpose here. Winning is all good, but it's kind of the least important.

The Formula 1 season review edition of Autosport magazine, featuring Grand Prix editor Alex Kalinauckas' pick of the 5 best Grand Prix drives in 2020, analysis of Sebastian Vettel's final season at Ferrari and much more, will be available to buy from 31 December.