Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton’s diversity comments are way off-base

The recent comments about diversity from four-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton could not possibly be more off-base than they are.

Lewis Hamilton is no stranger to the spotlight when it comes to having success in Formula 1. He is a four-time champion of the sport whose win total of 62 ranks second on the all-time list behind only the 91 wins of the legendary Michael Schumacher.

However, Hamilton is also no stranger to the spotlight when it comes to making controversial comments, especially when they relate to politics or political correctness.

In 2011, Hamilton made a remark about being penalized because he’s black in the Monaco Grand Prix, and this past Christmas, he told his four-year-old nephew Kaiden that “boys don’t wear princess dresses” in a video on his Instagram story that made him the subject of tons of unwarranted criticism.

Hamilton is back in the spotlight for making controversial comments. This time, he made remarks about a lack of diversity in Formula 1  by posting another video on his Instagram story that featured words written over it.

Here are the words he used over this video, according to ESPN.

"“There’s barely any diversity in F1. Still nothing’s changed in 11 years I’ve been here. Kids, people, there’s so many jobs in this sport of which anybody, no matter your ethnicity or background, can make it and fit in. #diversity #youcandoit”"

I defended Hamilton when he made his comments toward his nephew this past Christmas and when he faced tons of unwarranted backlash for those comments. I defended him when he “liked” several tweets stating that he did nothing wrong even after he apologizing for saying what he said, and I made clear that I felt he had no reason to apologize to begin with since I, too, felt he did nothing wrong.

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But his recent claims about a lack of diversity in the sport are extremely off-base.

Factoring in drivers only, three are French, two are German, two are Finnish, two are Spanish, one is Australian, one is a New Zealander, one is Mexican, one is Canadian, one is Belgian, one is Dutch, one is Danish, one is Swedish, one is Monegasque, one is Russian and one is British. There are 20 full-time drivers in the 2018 Formula One field, and they represent a total of 15 different countries.

No diversity, huh? That’s a laugh! And that’s without getting into the diversity amount the thousands of other employees involved in making the sport what it is.

Given the fact that there is so much diversity in Formula 1 and there is literally no evidence to suggest otherwise, it would seem that Hamilton, the sport’s lone black driver, is insinuating that skin color is somehow relevant to whether or not employees can do a job.

But if that is the case, why is the lone black Formula One driver arguably the best in the history of the sport with four championships and 62 race victories, and why is he in the final season of a three-year, $150 million contract?

Maybe because the so-called “issue” stems from nothing more than race-baiting and is not a real issue in any way, shape or form. Nothing even remotely suggest that Hamilton’s most recent comments are even close to being reasonable.

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What is your opinion on Lewis Hamilton’s recent comments about a lack of diversity in Formula 1? Do you agree with his take on the matter? Be sure not to miss the 2018 season opener, the Australian Grand Prix, by tuning in to ESPN at 1:10 am ET on Sunday, March 25th.