What Has Haooenned To F1?

[ToraToraTora]

"taking the knee", perlease! I'd always loved the drivers for being mavericks! How did they allow themselves to be bullied into this. I've always been a huge fan of Hamilton, not any more. What a bunch of - colloquial term for cats -.

[ToraToraTora]

Gromit: "You’d sooner support a foreign driver than the best English driver ever. 6 times World Champion, but unfortunately he is black - so you aren’t supporting him. " - stop trying to bring race into this, skin colour seems to be important to you, it's not to me. Hamilton has been degenerating into a plonker for some time, this latest episode is the cherry on the cake. Anyway what foreign driver am I supporting? I expressed some appreciation of KR but as far as "support" goes, I think Norris is getting it now.

[Gromit]

Yes, apologies TTT, I was unfair. I realise you have been a Hamilton fan in the past and are just reacting to his latest posturing.

[THECORBYLOON]

TTT, if "F1 is the most un racist sport in history." on what evidence is that based?

What percentage of Formula One drivers are or have been non-white?

What about those employed by the Teams as a whole? What percentage of those are or have been non-white?

According to Wikipedia, as of the final race last year, there have been 774 Formula One drivers so it would be interesting to know how many were not white.

How much of the billions of pounds poured into Formula One over the decades has been spent on increasing the diversity of the drivers and the support teams?

[New Judge]

I am a big Hamilton fan and I still am, despite what I believe to be his mistaken stance on this.

The fact is he is the best driver around (though not today, unfortunately). He got where he is through hard work and determination and the fantastic support provided by his father. Yes, F1 is markedly short of black participants. But sprint running is similarly short of white participants (at least at top level).

Of course black lives matter. It seems we hear a lot of it. But all lives matter and when an aircraft was hired to tow a banner over Burnley suggesting that white lives matter it prompted a police investigation for stirring up racial hatred.

"Taking the knee" is a ridiculous gesture and quite what it aims to achieve is puzzling. Hopefully it will die a death when other people realise its futility but meantime I'd like Lewis to concentrate on winning races and beating Schumie's record of 91 wins.

[gulliver1]

Personally I think taking the knee is taking the pee .

[New Judge]

//What percentage of Formula One drivers are or have been non-white?//

Or, more pertinently, how many black people who have applied for positions in F1 teams have been victims of discrimination based on their skin colour?

//How much of the billions of pounds poured into Formula One over the decades has been spent on increasing the diversity of the drivers and the support teams?//

Next to nothing, I should think. So long as there is no discrimination in the recruitment process it is not the job of any employer to "increase diversity." That is the job of the applicants.

[Hopkirk]

Surely Lewis Hamilton's success is proof that the colour of his skin didn't stop him reaching the top.

[jno]

Hopkirk, yes, but as I noted earlier, he's the only black F1 driver. Ever.

[THECORBYLOON]

Yes, Hamilton reached the top but he is one out of at least 774 drivers in the past seventy years.

[New Judge]

And your point is what, Corby?

[New Judge]

Just as an afterthought, there has only been one woman F1 driver ever as well.

[brainiac]

F1 has to be the most boring 'sport' known to man - even worse than basketball. Shown by the summary of today's 'race':

"the winner led from start to finish".

[brainiac]

We are told that Mercedes have painted their cars black "to show support for diversity". So shouldn't they have painted them several colours, not just one?

[albaqwerty]

Maybe Hamilton is the only Black driver because so far he's been the only black person interested.skilled enough to become one?

Businesses can open up their diversity tick-boxes as much as they like, but if people from whatever races don't want to participate, then there's no point in accusing them of being racist.

You can take a horse to water, but you can't make them drink.....

[archibaldy]

Racing isn't a pure meritocracy, in fact it's one of the most expensive and difficult sports to progress in and many talented drivers never make it due to lack of money. At junior and semi-pro levels there has to be a constant input of money to maintain the cars, pay to enter races etc. this comes from private individuals or sponsorship deals and being good at driving is only one factor that will secure this.

Across many sports there is a direct correlation between the cost of being able to participate and how many black people there are at the elite level.

[New Judge]

//Maybe Hamilton is the only Black driver because so far he's been the only black person interested.skilled enough to become one?//

Quite, alba. It's similar to saying that the National Parks are not the province of black people. They are there for all to use. If black people don't want to visit them why should the authorities spend money trying to persuade them to do so. Diversity of visitors in National Parks will be achieved by diverse people wanting to visit, not the Parks' operators. So it is with particular occupations.

[ToraToraTora]

TCL: 22:05, they employ the best in every position irrespective of skin colour, why is that so difficult to grasp?

[angie55]

//Just as an afterthought, there has only been one woman F1 driver ever as well.//
Not quite, 2 have raced in F1, Maria Teresa de Filippis and Lelia Lombardi. And 3 more were in F1 but never qualified to start a race, Divina Galica, Desiré Wilson and Giovanni Amati.

Oh and Wily T Ribbs was the first black man to drive an F1 car when he tested Bernie’s Brabham at Estoril in 1986 but didn’t get a contract for 1987.

[THECORBYLOON]

NJ I am scrutinizing TTT's claim that Formula One is the most un-racist sport in history.

Now, there have been many sports in history so that is quite a claim to make. If such a claim were true why has there (to my knowledge) been no other black drivers in Formula One?

What opportunities are there for non-white folk in competitive driving? There are millions of black and non-white drivers in the world but how is it so few get to race in Formula One or in the other Formulas for that matter? What barriers are preventing them?

They may not be racist but the most un-racist in the history of sport?
As an London ex-colleague of mines would say, "You're avin a bobble!"

[ToraToraTora]

TCL I'm merely stating the facts, motor sport cares only about speed, nothing else matters. If my jack Russel could drive faster than Hamilton he'd be in the seat.