On a long flight with an impressively bland selection of in-flight movies, I watched “Ford v. Ferrari” (2019). It was beautiful. I cried. I also noticed that most of the cast was white — which makes sense.

Despite nearly a century of Formula One, the only drivers of color on the grid are Sergio Pérez, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu and 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton.

In the eyes of Hamilton, the only Black F1 driver in history, the grid is still glaringly white. So, in 2020, he established the Hamilton Commission, a research-driven project that partnered with The Royal Academy of Engineering for a study titled “Accelerating change: Improving representation of Black people in UK motorsport.” The Commission found that underrepresentation “is not just limited to the driver pool, [but] also includes those who work in the garage and the engineers in the factories.”

The Commission found that “diverse companies are 30% more likely to have financial returns above the national average … less than 1% of the workforce in Formula 1 [comes] from Black or other minority ethnic backgrounds.” Across the history of Formula 1, there have only been two women Team Principals and none who were Black.

In November 2021, F1 World Championship Limited’s CEO Stefano Domenicali pledged “a meritocracy that promotes the most talented drivers into F1, regardless of gender or ethnicity.”

Despite the brief’s frequent mention of the words “inclusive” and “diverse,” it lacks clear benchmarks and definitions for achieving these goals, raising questions about tangible progress. Attraction and development fall short without retainment, accountability and visibility. As the Commission asserted, true diversity requires structural change within institutions. Merely asserting “colour [sic] and gender blindness … and [insisting] that the organization is meritocratic” fails to address underlying issues.

For instance, “empowering the most talented to progress” often favors those with the socioeconomic advantage to be pushed into the limelight in the first place. Out of many talented racers, it’s the most economically well-positioned ones, and those with the most access to training and coaching, that progress. Notably, Karting — entry-level motor racing — requires £30,000, or about $38,000 USD, per year to compete nationally.

Another significant hurdle for the sport is the lack of representation itself. Parents, especially those with limited resources, may not support a child’s interest if they don’t see familiar faces winning. While meritocracy is ideal, F1 needs programs and opportunities specifically for minorities that allow target audiences to participate in, pitch and lead events. Equal opportunities aren’t universal.

Beyond the Commission, Mission 44 and F1’s #WeRaceAsOne, other efforts thrive.

Ellie Watts, D&I Coordinator on Mercedes-AMG Petronas, leads DE&I on its Accelerate 25 program. In 2020, they partnered with EW Group for a diversity diagnostic, guiding strategies for mentoring, work experience, sponsorship and targeted advertising. They aimed for “25% of all new starters to come from under-represented groups,” and in 2021, these groups represented 38% of Mercedes-AMG Petronas’ new hires.

On July 14, 2020, Stephanie Travers made history as the first Black woman to stand on an F1 podium. Hamilton later took to Instagram, lauding Travers, a Petronas trackside fluid engineer at the time: “[Travers] was selected out of over 7,000 applicants for her role. [Travers] said she wants to inspire young black children, and children of colour to believe that they can do it too, and I couldn’t agree more.”

FIA Formula E, an electric single-seater motorsport championship, promotes gender equality via FIA Girls on Track. Girls aged eight to 18 can discover motorsport and its industry at no cost — including a pitlane walk, road safety challenge, kart simulator, educational environment challenge, practical STEM activities, media tutorials and an electric karting slalom.

I sometimes wonder about my own path if I had heard about racing earlier and saw smiling, diverse faces pumping fists in victory. I guess that’s why I started writing in the first place. Beyond my love for sharp turns, supporting the next generation and building a more inclusive society is what drives me.

Hamilton said it best: “It’s all of our responsibility to do something. Not only us, the sport, [but] those that write and report on what’s happening here … Your words are powerful.”

But Hamilton shouldn’t be the only one pushing for these initiatives. To be proper allies, those who have been historically advantaged should also use their platforms. Racers shouldn’t express support solely when an incident occurs and PR tells them to. Though racers drive individually, they’re racing for teams — and securing the podium is a united effort between racers, garage, team principals and admins.

It’s about fighting on in the face of adversity — breaking barriers and going the distance. Similar to the 24 Heures du Mans, it’s about sustained, sustainable progress — and racing toward a better world than the one you were born into.

Victoria Lee is a sophomore writing about diversity and representation in sports. Her column, “The Chairlift,” runs every other Wednesday.