Hamilton hands F1 ‘normal people’ warning

Lewis Hamilton insists F1 must not slip out of the reach of everyday people amid its recent boom in popularity and increased interest from celebrities and the affluent.

During Liberty Media's ownership, and off the back of Netflix's docu-series Drive to Survive, F1 has experienced a significant influx of new support and viewership.

The championship has also continued to grow into new markets, including further into the United States - and has attracted more and more attention from the rich and famous.

Whilst F1 has been expanding from its European bases for over two decades, recent forays into non-traditional destinations seen as exclusive, hallmark events, like the rounds in Miami and Las Vegas which have been added to the calendar.

This is not unprecedented for the championship, which has long boasted the illustrious Monaco Grand Prix. But these newer races have been deemed by many to be inaccessible and too expensive for 'normal people' to attend, something Hamilton is keenly aware of.

"The more eyeballs on the sport is not a bad thing," the 40-year-old told media including 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."

Championing increased diversity and inclusion

Hamilton also addressed diversity and inclusion within F1, underlining the need to continue to more greatly open F1 up to people - and particularly - children from all backgrounds.

The Ferrari driver has been a vocal advocate for social justice and change, both inside and outside of the F1 paddock.

Having established programmes like The Hamilton Commission in partnership with the UK's Royal Academy of Engineering and Mission 44, the seven-time F1 drivers' champion is well positioned to lend his voice.

"I think it's great that this sport is starting to now work on D&I [diversity and inclusion], making sure that giving access to young kids, showing young kids that it doesn't matter where you're from, belong here," he said.

"Hopefully we'll see those [kids] in many years to come, that worked towards one day being here [working in F1].

"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."