Lewis Hamilton has said widening participation in motorsport is his top priority for the long-term and criticised how expensive junior championships have become.

The world champion said changes to the structure of junior categories has made it more expensive for young drivers seeking to reach F1.

Hamilton arrived in F1 through Formula Renault, Formula 3 and GP2, the latter in its second year after it replaced Formula 3000. Since then Formula 3 has changed and replaced the single-spec GP3 series, while GP2 has been rebranded as Formula 2. Multi-chassis competitions such as those Hamilton raced in have largely been replaced by single-spec series, and costs have risen.

In an interview last week Hamilton said he is concerned this places talented drivers who do not come from wealthy backgrounds at a disadvantage. He is trying to find ways to address the matter through F1.

“I think it’s important,” he said. “I’ve been really wracking my mind and having long discussions with people that I work with just trying to figure out what it is that I can actually do in this sport, and within this business.

“The business has a certain goal and they’re not generally aligned with mine. But that’s natural because it’s a business and I’m an individual.

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“I think where Formula 1 [and] where motorsport has gone now, if you look at Formula 3, it’s not the same as it used to be. Formula Renault, for example, isn’t the stepping stone that it used to be.

“It’s now GP3, GP2, [Formula 3, Formula 2] those things are continuously getting more and more expensive and they don’t need generally need to be. Karting’s getting more and more expensive when it doesn’t really need to be.

“But again it’s because the business heads are not aligned with my thought process. So I’m just trying to think of what I can do.”

Hamilton believes bringing down the cost of competing in junior categories will help broaden the sport’s appeal. “Diversity is a continuous issue and will continue to be an issue for a long time. And there’s only a certain amount that I can do.”

He wants to ensure whatever he does makes “an impactful difference” and isn’t “just a tick on their list of things to add ‘we also do’, which businesses often do.”

“So I’m still trying to understand that,” he said. “But it is at the top of my priorities in terms of what I want to do long-term.”

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2019 F1 season