Lewis Hamilton is keen to see female mechanics, engineers, and drivers in Formula 1 in the future, and while he acknowledges this is still in the future, he is making a movie about the sport with a surprise or two in store.
Last year, Hamilton announced two projects in the works with Apple TV+ and his own Dawn Apollo Films, including a F1 racing film, starring Brad Pitt and directed by Joe Kosinski of Top Gun: Maverick fame.
Speaking to media during the Mercedes W14 launch at Silverstone, Hamilton gave an update on the project: “We’re going through a process right now of selecting the character that will be alongside Brad, which is exciting. We have recordings of them doing certain scenes and we got through it.
“I have sat in the office with Jerry and Joe and Brad, and we’ve been watching them and kind of given our inputs and what we think.”
Hamilton, with his status as one of the highest-earning and visible F1 drivers in the history of the sport, has championed causes close to his heart over the years and now intends to take the message onto the screen with his projects.
When announcing his foray into the movie industry, Hamilton said: “The goal is to make impactful stories and ultimately to inspire people through movies and storytelling. A big part of the new company will be about social impact, community and causes. That’s very important to me.”
As for the F1 movie in the making, Hamilton explained: “I want to make the movie, in terms of like having diversity and representation, I want it to be as Formula 1 should be in the future – or should be now, but will be in the future.
“I want to see female mechanics. We would love to see a female driver. We haven’t gotten to that point just yet. But why not?
“Right now, we’ve still got the script. We’ve gone through quite a few different iterations of it. We’re still waiting for a new rewrite, and that’s the whole process. It’s exciting. I’m excited to get to the next end of the script.
“I was talking to Brad last night about the characters that we have coming,” revealed Hamilton, the seven-time F1 World Champion whose own story is in itself a tale of triumph for the underdog, a blueprint for accelerating diversity.