Sakhir (Bahrain), Feb 23 (AP) Lewis Hamilton will continue to push for more diversity within Formula 1 when the seven-time champion moves to Ferrari next year.

Hamilton, the only Black driver in F1, said Friday at preseason testing that he was proud of the legacy he would leave with Mercedes after he and the team developed diversity initiatives together, and that it would be a priority in his work with Ferrari.

Also Read | IPL 2024 Associate Sponsorship With My11Circle Sparks Controversy.

“I'm immensely proud of the work that we've done within Mercedes. Since 2020, we've made some really great strides in improving diversity within the team,” he said.

“I think we are ahead of every other team in that respect, and there's still a huge amount of work within the whole sport. I'm speaking to (F1 chief executive) Stefano (Domenicali) constantly and looking to work more with F1."

Also Read | Mohamed Salah's Availability Status a Last-Minute Decision for Liverpool’s EFL Cup 2023-24 Final Against Chelsea.

"And of course, you look at Ferrari, they have a lot of work to do, so I've already made that a priority in speaking with (Ferrari executive chairman) John (Elkann) and they're super excited to get on and work on it also.”

Hamilton won six of his seven world titles with the Mercedes team after joining in 2013, and his decision to leave Ferrari — a move he's said will be a “childhood dream” come true — shocked the sport.

During his time at Mercedes, Hamilton set up a commission to investigate ways to improve diversity in the motorsports industry and the STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

Hamilton and Mercedes also jointly created the Ignite partnership, which provides financial grants to organizations which promote diversity and inclusivity in motorsports and STEM. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)