Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has said that his fight towards a more diverse Formula 1 is more important to him than on-track achievements.
Hamilton is largely regarded to be one of the most successful F1 drivers of all time, holding the record for the most amount of career race victories, pole positions, and the joint-record with Michael Schumacher for the number of world championships.
Whilst his performances on-track have taken a turn for the worse, after suffering two seasons in an underperforming Mercedes car, Hamilton has switched his attentions to improving the sport from a different standpoint.
In 2020 the Brit launched The Hamilton Commission, a programme which works to improve the representation of black people in UK motorsport.
A year later in 2021 when he was in the midst of an almighty title battle with Max Verstappen, Hamilton pledged £20 million to the creation of Mission 44, a foundation that helps to educate, employ and empower young people from under-represented backgrounds.
Now, Hamilton has revealed that these projects haven't as of yet gone as far as he'd like.
“It's more important for me [than any on-track achievements]," he said.
“Honestly, it's been a long process. It started really here in 2019.
“I'm not going to lie. We just did a team photo and I still look and I'm like, ‘Damn, we still have so much work to do’.
“There's three people of colour, for example. But there are a lot more women. But still, that needs to shift.
“If I contrast that to 2019, I'm going to be pretty sure that it's not moved anywhere near as much as it should have. So, the challenge is to see how we shift that.”