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STEPHANIE Travers, the 25-year-old trailblazing chemical engineer who broke barriers by becoming the first black woman, in Formula 1 racing, to stand on the podium, has given all of us a reason to feel proud to be Zimbabwean.
Travers provided a seismic moment in the history of sport, especially the high-stakes world of Formula 1 racing, when she went to the podium to accept the constructor’s trophy for her triumphant Mercedes AMG Petronas team at the Styrian Grand Prix in Austria on Sunday.
It was the first time that a black woman had stepped onto the podium, in the 70-year history of the sport, and — in an era where English Premiership footballers are taking a knee, and Test cricketers are wearing protest logos on their shirts — this was a landmark moment for the Black Lives Matter movement.
Sport, just like life itself, has been thrust into a painful soul-searching exercise, in the wake of the death of African American George Floyd in police custody in the United States, and we have seen a number of reviews being made across all sectors to address issues related to race relations.
Travers’ Formula 1 team, Mercedes AMG Petronas, have been playing a leading role in the movement and replaced their traditional “Silver Arrows’’ trim, on their cars, to a black-liveried strip, as part of their powerful message that all races were the same.
The team’s leading driver, six-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, is the only black driver in Formula 1 today and has also become one of the leading sports personalities, in the world, spreading the messages that being black did not necessarily mean one was inferior.
The decision by the Mercedes AMG Petronas team to ask Travers to accept their trophy on Sunday was part of their initiative to break the barriers, and promote the interests of some of the minority members of their team, Stephanie, who is the granddaughter of the late Arcadia United chairman, Pat Travers, joined the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team last year, as a Trackside Fluid Engineer.
She got the job after coming out tops in a global recruitment process which featured over 7 000 applicants.
On Sunday, at the Styrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, Austria, Travers became the first black woman to stand on the podium in the 70 years of Formula 1, when she was asked by her team to receive their constructor drivers’ trophy.
Six-time World Champion, Lewis Hamilton, the high-stakes sport’s only black driver, won the race while his teammate Valtteri Bottas finished second.
Hamilton has been very vocal in his support of the Black Lives Matter movement, including attending a peaceful protest in London earlier this year, while his Mercedes team are racing in black-liveried cars for this season.
The team usually race in “Silver Arrows” trim, but believe the black-liveried cars will provide both a powerful, and visual, stance against racism.
“How awesome was it to see Steph collecting the trophy on behalf of Petronas Motorsports and the whole team today,” the Mercedes AMG Petronas team posted on Twitter.
Team principal, Totto Wolf, said it was important that society, sport included, find a way to fight racism and, as a team, they were playing their part.
“Racism and discrimination have no place in our society, our sport or our team: this is a core belief at Mercedes,’’ he said. “But, having the right beliefs and the right mindset isn’t enough if we remain silent.
“We intend to find and attract the very best talents from the broadest possible range of backgrounds, and to create credible pathways for them to reach our sport, in order to build a stronger and more diverse team in the future.’’
Travers is one of those best talents, from a diverse background, which the Mercedes AMG Petronas team chose, last year, to be one of their trackside fluid engineers.
The Zimbabwean beat over 7 000 other applicants, from around the globe, to get the job.
And, for us, as a country, it’s something that makes us proud because, once again, it shows we are a nation, for all the challenges we have faced, blessed with unique human resources.
This has helped us to keep going, even in the face of adversity, because we are able to use our unique talents to confront the challenges, which we keep facing, and finding a way to leap those hurdles.
We never give up, as Zimbabweans, and the bigger the challenge, the better we feel.
For a small country, of just about 16 million people, we keep punching above our weight, in shaping the world and, even when the Springboks won the Rugby World Cup last year, there was a Zimbabwean touch to that success story with Tendai Mtawarira part of that triumphant team.
Just like Mtawarira, what makes Travers’ amazing story even special, for us, is that she proudly wears the badge of her country on her sleeve and, unlike others who have gone on a crusade to demonise our nation, she is proud to identify with her roots.
“I was so proud to be recognised by my very own Zimbabwean people,’’ she said after she won the Young Achiever of the Year award at the Zim Achievers Awards in London last year.
“I’m so humbled that my own people actually recognise the hard work that goes into what we are doing. I will always continue to fly the Zimbabwean flag high . . . love you Zimbabwe.’’
For that, she will always have our support and we also hope she can inspire many kids in this country that, for all the challenges we face as a nation, the sky remains the limit and, if they can pursue their dreams, nothing can stop their rise.
Online Reporter