Motorsports: All ten teams, Formula 1, and FIA agree to New Diversity and Inclusion charter

Monaco, Nov 27 (IANS) Formula 1 management on Tuesday announced the introduction of a formal Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) charter, which has been agreed by all ten teams, Formula 1 and the FIA, to build a more diverse and inclusive place to work. The charter has been created with support from the Royal Academy of Engineering, which, alongside Sir Lewis Hamilton, delivered The Hamilton Commission’s original report in 2021, the stakeholders informed in a release on Tuesday.

The charter results from the report’s recommendation that the motorsport sector commits to improving diversity and inclusion across all organisations. The charter’s implementation will also be supported by Formula 1 partner Mission 44, the charity set up by Lewis Hamilton. Mission 44 has also recently released research that indicates that programmes including pledges, commitments, or codes, drive accountability.

The sport is committed to creating, supporting, and delivering on actions, measures, and outcomes, to build a more diverse and inclusive workplace. Over recent years every team and stakeholder in Formula 1 has acted and implemented initiatives to improve diversity, access, and opportunity within the sport.

At Formula 1, fully funded engineering scholarships for underrepresented groups have been introduced, apprentice and intern schemes created, and F1 ACADEMY, the female-only series, has been launched, to name a few key examples.

The charter is an important step in agreeing on a set of clear joint principles to maintain momentum and continue to maximise diversity across Formula 1, and it sets out a collaborative approach to improve the sport in the months and years ahead.

The charter sets out the vision and mission for the sport and lists four key pillars of focus -- to identify and remove barriers to attract and retain a rich diversity of people in our workplaces, improve our ways of working, and engage with stakeholders to drive innovation.

The Four Pillars are to target and support initiatives that seek to attract underrepresented groups to motorsport.

To put in place processes to mitigate bias in various stakeholder organisations and create cultures of inclusion so a diversity of people can thrive in the sport. They will aim to listen to and encourage all perspectives in the design, development, and delivery of our products and services, encouraging the supply chains to do this too. They will also communicate their commitment to D&I with their external stakeholders -- listening, learning, and improving to deliver a more inclusive experience.

Representatives from Formula 1, the FIA, and all 10 teams will work together as part of the Formula 1 Diversity and Inclusion Working Group and, as part of the charter. This will now evolve into an implementation group that will deliver more initiatives and further formalise the sport’s collaborative approach by introducing measurable and timebound projects, and key performance indicators.

“Our sport is rightly recognised for its elite performance and innovation, and we are clear that the only way to maintain and improve those exceptional standards is to welcome diversity of thought, ideas, and experiences," said Stefano Domenicali, President & CEO of Formula 1.

"The sport is fiercely competitive, and we’re all committed to employing the very best talent. We know from The Hamilton Commission report that there are opportunities for us to work collectively to find and nurture that talent and significant change has already been put in place across the sport. The charter is the next important milestone on that journey, and we are all committed to making our sport more open and diverse,” he said.

Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the FIA, said: “The diversification of motorsport is paramount to its continued success. By ensuring equal opportunity for equal talent, increasing accessibility, and joining together in our commitment to uphold this charter, we will drive forward change. This landmark partnership between Formula 1, the teams, and our Federation signifies a united course of action which I am proud to be a part of.”

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