“Game Changer of the Year” Lewis Hamilton Will Never Drive for Ferrari

As GQ puts it, even without Hamilton’s astounding accomplishments in the sport in what has otherwise been a terrible year for everyone else, he would have still won the Game Changer title. 2020 has been the year when Hamilton rose as the people’s ally, champion, and pioneer, in a sport still dominated by white people. It’s only the beginning, Hamilton says.

You can see Hamilton’s bit as part of the GQ Men of the Year Awards starting at the 54-minute mark in the video below, in which he talks about experiencing racism as young as five and fighting for a better world. He also gave a separate interview to the mag for the December issue, touching on such topics as not wanting to stay silent anymore and realizing he could use his huge F1 platform to push for change, knighthood, and plans for the future.

Like he said in many other previous interviews, Hamilton promises he won’t stop his activism, especially now that he’s already seen it pay out. That’s the only thing he’s certain about as regards his future – and the fact that he will never drive for Ferrari.

“That’s not going to happen,” he says point-blank, addressing older reports. “The Ferrari thing is not going to happen... I think. I’ve always been positive about Ferrari. I watched Michael win there. I’ve always been a Ferrari fan. I remember one of the first cars I ever bought was a Ferrari. And I think it’s a hugely iconic team and brand, particularly. I think the team has, in my period of time... There have been things I’ve seen that I don’t necessarily feel mirror my values and my approach.”

Admitting that he’s dreamed of what it might feel like to be in the red cockpit, Hamilton adds: “No disrespect to them, but when I stop, I want to work with Mercedes in helping them be even better in the outside world. You know, they’ll always have beautiful cars, but how can we be a more diverse industry?”