A female racing driver has slammed Lewis Hamilton for claiming he would form a gender-diverse F1 team.
Alpine-backed racer Sophia Floersch took to social media to vent her frustrations with the Mercedes star’s comments.
Hamilton had been asked about his dream line-up for a new F1 team and the British star suggested he would include Mercedes juniors Kenzo Craigie and Doriane Pin.
A post on X by Motorsport.com revealed Hamilton’s intentions and provided a quote which read: ‘Kenzo and Doriane, she’s a bada***. If I was to make a team… maybe one day I will, it’ll be diverse from the beginning’.
However, Floersch swiftly replied: ‘Put your money where your mouth is!’ She has since faced backlash from those in the F1 community.
Throughout his F1 career, Hamilton has claimed he wants to ‘make a change’ to the sport’s landscape in regard to gender equality and BAME representation.
Lewis Hamilton has suggested he could form a gender-diverse F1 team
Female driver Sophia Floersch (pictured) is not convinced and told Hamilton: ‘Put your money where you mouth is!’
Back in March, Hamilton delivered a blistering attack on Formula One, saying it discriminates against women.
Hamilton had offered support to Susie Wolff, the wife of his Mercedes boss Toto, who had began criminal proceedings against the FIA, the governing body run by Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Wolff was angry that she was subject to an investigation by the FIA into a potential conflict of interest, given her position as the head of the F1 Academy, run and owned by the sport’s owners Liberty Media, and her husband’s involvement as a F1 team principal.
The issue was looked into and dismissed by the FIA compliance department last December.
Hamilton had said: ‘I’m incredibly proud of Susie. I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values.
‘She’s such a leader in a world where often people are silenced. For her to be standing up sends such a great message.’
Meanwhile, F1 is poised to expand from 2026 following confirmation Cadillac are poised to join the grid as the sport’s 11th team.
Cadillac – a division of American motoring giant General Motors – had its proposed entry to the sport rubber stamped by bosses last week.
Hamilton has previously spoken about wanting more opportunities for women in F1, and praised Susie Wolff (right) for her bravery earlier this year
The arrival of a new team to the line-up has led to some posing the question as to whether a female driver could soon be on the grid.
To date, five women have driven in F1 Grand Prix races. Maria Teresa de Filippis was the first back in 1958, with fellow Italian Lella Lombardi becoming the first woman to score a point having made 12 starts during her time in F1 from 1974-76.
Britain’s Divina Galica and South Africa’s Desire Wilson also competed in Grand Prix races, with Italy’s Giovanna Amati the last to do so back in 1992.
Susie Wolff was the closest to featuring since having been a development and test driver at Williams. Wolff – who is married to Mercedes team principal Toto – participated in the first practice session in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone back in 2014.
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