Opinion: Lewis Hamilton is the Greatest Black Athlete America Has Never Heard Of
Quick, without Google, turn to the person next to you and ask “Do you know who Lewis Hamilton is?” But, before you do that, if you’re reading this from an American location, do YOU know who Lewis Hamilton is? Chances are, you don’t. Why not? He’s a black race car driver in the highest form of racing on Earth. How could you not know who he is? You follow sports right? You’ve heard about “white privilege”, NFL players kneeling in protest of “racial injustice”, and racial inequality? Why then, would you not know that one of the greatest race car drivers in history, is a black man from England? Shouldn’t we be celebrating this? If he’s so great, why isn’t he mentioned in the same breath as other influential black athletes?
In 2017 Lewis Hamilton captured his fourth World Drivers’ Championship. The season finale Mexico Grand Prix was nothing short of extraordinary. What started with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen on the pole, saw a first lap charge by Sebastian Vettle in the Ferrari, and Hamilton in his Mercedes, that led to contact. Verstappen stormed off to a commanding lead, Vettle sustained front wing damage, and Lewis a right rear tire puncture, this incident dropping the #44 Mercedes to the back of the field, Lewis quickly gathered himself and got back through the grid finishing 9th, earning two points, and securing the Drivers’ Championship for 2017. His fourth in 10 years. An amazing feat to say the least!
It was then, that it occurred to me that what you never really hear talked about, is that Lewis is black. Not only is he black, he’s the only black Formula 1 driver, ever! There’s even more to consider though: Four World Championships, 62 wins, 116 Podium finishes, 72 pole positions, and 38 fastest laps, all in 206 career races. The man has won 30% of the races he’s ever competed in. But above all: no one cares that he’s black. And not in a bad way. His skin color is not a topic of discussion, nor should it be. So why isn’t it apart of the world focus? If Lewis was doing this in NASCAR or IndyCar, the headlines would be “Lewis Hamilton, earns 4th Championship becomes only black driver in history to do so” We’d play the hell out of the “race card”. But the rest of the world just seems to look at Lewis as another “one of the boys”. Probably the best of them, but his race is not used as a precursor. It isn’t used in his narrative at all. At least not to my knowledge.
I use my wife as the barometer for pop culture. After watching a Bryant Gumbel interview on YouTube, I said to her, “It’s crazy how Lewis Hamilton never once talked about being ‘the only black kid’ when he was growing up. The one time he said anything about it, he said it jokingly.” My wife turned to me and goes “Who the hell is Lewis Hamilton?” with every fiber of my being I refrained from calling a divorce lawyer. But I quickly realized, “That’s just it. You don’t know, because it’s not an issue. He, nor the international media, use it as a crutch.” Lewis doesn’t use it as a crutch or a “chip on his shoulder”. He’s the baddest dude on four wheels. Period. I want to dislike him, because he wins so much, that it makes F1 boring. But at the same time, you have to respect what he’s able to do. This isn’t the Ferrari/Schumacher days either. Schumacher had a clearly superior car year in year out. Mercedes hasn’t always had the best car. Its engine has been the class of the field during the hybrid-turbo era, sure, but they have had several races where they’ve struggled. And when the car is in the hands of an above-average driver such as Bottas, the car shows it can easily be 3rd–8th on the grid. Lewis is the difference, more often than not. Statistically speaking, he’s a Top 3 driver, in history.
But what I’m questioning isn’t his talent, but why his ethnicity isn’t a bigger deal? I don’t want it to be. That’s, socially, taking a step backwards, and I understand that. But a black man is a top 3 driver in the highest form of motorsport on planet Earth, and no one ever mentions it? In 2018!? Racing is statistically and historically a white-male dominated sport. That’s every form of racing. From drag racing, to sprint cars, to karting, to sports cars, to RC cars. It’s easily 95–98% white males. Even in Jackie Robinson’s day, when no blacks could play in Major League Baseball, there was an entire professional league for black players only. There’s one in NASCAR, full time, now. Bubba Wallace for Richard Petty Motorsport, which will make him the only African-American on the grid. IndyCar has none. There aren’t any in IMSA, WEC, WRC, Global Rally Cross (now defunct), Indy Lights, GP2, or the World of Outlaws. NASCAR is trying with it’s Drive for Diversity program, but has seen little success. Which brings us back to Lewis. His accomplishments should have him mentioned with Tiger Woods and others. He is a modern day Jackie Robinson, literally.
Hamilton comes from humble beginnings. Lewis was born in Hertfordshire, England in 1985 to Carmen and Anthony Hamilton. Anthony worked 4 jobs to help pay for his Lewis’ karting as a child. He never had the new or best equipment. He had what his father could afford. And they were the only black family there. His brother Nicolas was diagnosed with cerebral palsy by age 3.
His racing addiction started with remote controlled cars. His father was amazed at his hand eye coordination and reaction times, things that can’t be taught. Lewis was a “natural”. This prompted his dad to get him a go-kart at age six as a Christmas present. The rest, as they say, is history. One that most of the world knows. There’s been numerous short films on the Hamilton family and how they got their start. Still, none is about how “the black people went racing”.
I’m glad that Lewis Hamilton isn’t seen as the “black race car driver” and just as a race car driver. I think it is a testament to what is possible when we are not blinded by color. Even in this case of it being positive. When we look at people as just that, people, we are able to fully appreciate their accomplishments, celebrate their victories and not feel held hostage by skin tone. There’s a narrative in America, that if you don’t side with your race, than you’re against it. Because it’s “us vs them”. But when you sit down and talk to people one on one, you find that more often than not, we mostly want the same things in life. Lewis never used his ethnicity as an excuse. In the world of Formula 1 where it’d be such an easy card to play, Lewis went out and let his driving do the talking. He couldn’t be ignored because he was so damn good it didn’t matter if he was black, purple, green or orange. He could have made a career out of complaining about the “establishment” or the “good ol boys”. Want to talk about the face of “white privilege” (which isn’t a thing)? Look up Bernie Ecclestone. But he didn’t. I think he’s played it as a man that believes in hard work. Determination. Dedication. Focus. Respect. More importantly, being humble. You can read all over the world about Lewis’ world titles, and you’ll never once hear him talk about the struggle of being a black kid in a “white mans world”. I think that’s something everyone can appreciate. Hard work determines your success. The market doesn’t care about your skin color. It cares about your results. Lewis is a walking example of that.
Cheers to you Lewis, and to hopefully inspiring a new generation of athletes. The largest media country in the world is totally oblivious to one of the greatest athletes this planet has ever seen. And it’s because it doesn’t fit into their narrative. A black athlete that worked hard, dedicated himself to his craft, and didn’t use his ethnicity as an excuse? Not enough of a story here in current day America. It’s ashamed too, because we could use way more Lewis Hamiltons than Colin Kaepernicks.
