UNIVERSITY NEWS LAST UPDATED : 21 MAY
British racing driver Richard Morris is calling for more LGBTQ+ representation in motorsport and will use Birmingham City University’s annual Innovation Fest to press for greater inclusivity.
Morris came out in 2018 after beginning his racing career in junior karting in 2004.
“I struggled to come out within the sport,” he said. “There was no visible LGBTQ+ role models, nor was there any visible allyship, and it was easy to feel isolated in a male-dominated sport.
“But the fact that several Formula One teams have partnered with Racing Pride shows that motorsport is changing at the very highest level. Motorsport has the capacity to be a welcoming and inclusive environment.”
Morris co-founded Racing Pride to advocate for more LGBTQ+ inclusion in motorsport.
The movement has won the support of a number of F1 teams, including Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd, Oracle Red Bull Racing, Aston Martin Aramco and BWT Alpine.
“It is still crucial that we engage with young people at the beginning of their career journeys, no matter what role they want to take up in the sport,” said Morris.
“That is why it’s so exciting to be at Innovation Fest and to use it as a platform for important conversations with students, to inspire them and be part of making a positive change.”
Research from the 2021 Hamilton Commission Report found that less than 1% of people working in Formula 1 are black, while the motorsport initiative More Than Equal highlighted that just 13% of karting participants, where many drivers start their career, are female.
Automative engineering student Leoncio González is the bodyworks co-leader for BCU Racing, a student-led team that competes in the Formula Student Challenge each year. He recognises the progress motorsport has made to be more inclusive and diverse but says more needs to be done.
“In F1 especially, there have been significant improvements to make the sport more welcoming,” he said. “There are new education programmes to inspire young people from different backgrounds to study STEM, which is vital to get a more diverse student population in those subjects.
“I would love to see motorsport become a place that promotes the most talented drivers, engineers and designers - and there not to be barriers because of someone’s gender or race.”
Innovation Fest takes place from 20-24 May at the iconic STEAMhouse, a £70m innovation facility situated in Belmont Row on the edge of BCU’s City Centre campus (B4 7RQ).
The five-day event gives students a unique opportunity to showcase their creativity and entrepreneurship as well as the chance to network with industry professionals.