F1 ace Lewis Hamilton excluded from school and told being Black would stop success

Seven times Formula 1 world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton,41 hopes to speed to victory when the new season kicks off today with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

But his proudest achievement is his drive to help children to thrive in school and have access to careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) through his Mission 44 foundation.

“I know not every young person has the same opportunities as I have, so despite the championships and the wins and success, setting up Mission 44has been my proudest achievement so far," he said, "we have the chance to build a better future for young people, one that promotes inclusion and breaks down barriers.”

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In his second season driving for Ferrari, millions of new fans will be tuning into the sport, largely due to the phenomenal success of the Netflix series Drive to Survive, which follows F1 teams around the world. Last season the show reached more than 75 million viewers, and it’s credited with attracting a younger, female audience.

In one episode of the latest season, Lewis addresses a group of young women in Austin, Texas, who are interested in a career in motorsport, at an event arranged by Mission 44 - the number on his first go-kart - which he launched in 2021, investing £20 million of his own money.

Bursting onto the F1 scene in 2007 - winning four races and becoming the first Black driver to compete in the sport - he has always wanted his success and his journey to inspire others. He says: "Every single one of us has a dream. Mine was to be a Formula 1 world champion, to be the best. But when I watched races on TV I didn’t see anyone that looked like me.

“At school I experienced exclusion, I was told and made to feel that I would never become anything, that my dreams were off limits. There were so many voices telling me I wouldn’t succeed because of my colour and where I came from."

“Thankfully, my parents believed in me, my dad worked four jobs to fund weekends at the track," he says, “through determination, hard work and support I made it.

“Through incredible partnerships, Mission 44 Is making sure a new world for young people is emerging. A world where no dream is off limits."

Jason Arthur, CEO of Mission 44, which supports 43 organisations, was recruited by Lewis’s team after the driver launched Hamilton Commission, a study into why the motorsport industry was lacking in diversity. It found just 1% of people working in F1 were from Black backgrounds.

Jason says: “Talent is everywhere but opportunity isn’t. That’s why Mission 44 exists.

“The report exposed that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds faced many more challenges in school and in getting onto the career ladder in industries requiring science, technology, engineering or maths skills.

“Lewis was clear, we couldn’t just publish a report. We had to act.”

Mission 44 began to directly invest in grassroots organisations and charities working with disadvantaged young people. Jason continues: “The charities we partner with are based in the heart of their communities. They help young people stay engaged in school, gain confidence, and develop the skills employers are looking for.”

One organisation that’s directly benefited from Lewis’s vision is CAPE Mentors, which provides tuition and mentoring to children and young people affected by poverty and poor mental health.

CEO Hussein Hussein witnessed the effects of poverty and a poor education growing up, and went on to work in a pupil referral unit (PRU).

He says: “We deliver teaching and mentoring to children who have been excluded, or who are at risk of exclusion. Our relationship with the kids is very genuine, and that’s at the centre of all we do.

“Our partnership with Mission 44 has allowed us to reach far more children and also to showcase what mentoring is, and what the impact can be.”

The government’s Schools White Paper, published last month, focuses heavily on tackling disadvantage, with Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson setting out her desire for an education system that ‘works for the children neglected for too long, that stretches every child further, and sets them up to achieve and thrive.’

Last summer Lewis, Jason and a group of young people met with PM Keir Starmer and Bridget Phillipson at 10 Downing Street to express their concerns about the current education system - asking the politicians for practical commitments to make schools more inclusive.

Of the White Paper, Lewis says: “I’m pleased to see the government’s commitments to build a more inclusive education system reinforced in this publication. The real test is what happens next. What changes in classrooms. What young people actually feel when they walk through the school gates.”

As a former teacher, Jason adds: “I’ve seen how powerful it is when a child feels they belong in school, and how damaging it is when they don’t. Lewis experienced that first-hand when he was wrongly excluded at 15.

“We were pleased to see key elements of what we’d asked for reflected in the Government’s Schools White Paper, but there is still more to do.”

In the five years since Lewis started Mission 44, it has reached 550,000 young people around the world - including in the US and Brazil - and awarded £8m to charities, organisations and programmes.

Still closely involved, Lewis hosts Q&As with young people at races and meets with partners and supporters. Also running a Motorsport Scholarship programme that covers tuition fees and living costs for students from under-represented backgrounds to complete a Masters in motorsport engineering - also giving students mentoring and careers support - this could be Mission 44’s biggest year yet.

“This season we’re working with Formula 1, Pirelli and Ferrari to give young people behind-the-scenes access to the sport, meeting engineers and mechanics, seeing how teams operate, and understanding that these careers are within reach," Jason says, "the talent is already there. Our job is to make sure the doors are open.”

The winner of 105 grand prix, Lewis adds: “At Mission 44, we’re going to keep driving change and working to build a fairer future for young people.”