Lewis Hamilton has been a voice for the equality and inclusivity of minorities in Motorsports. The 7-time world champion established his charitable foundation, Mission 44, in 2021 taking a major leap forward.
Hamilton pledged over $25 Million of his own money towards projects to support the education of underrepresented groups. The organization has since received backing from major organizations like Sky Sports which donated over $1 Million to the organization.
For the Mercedes driver, improving representation and diversity in Formula 1 is personal. He is by far the only black driver to have raced in the sport and continues to inspire millions of children.
Sir Lewis continues to promote diversity & inclusion via Mission 44. He wants to encourage students to follow STEM subjects that would eventually lead to an engineering career path #F1 #LewisHamilton #Mission44 pic.twitter.com/LHdqrV8jfv
— Hamilton Insights (@LH44_insights) October 21, 2022
Hamilton overcame numerous social barriers to become the greatest F1 driver of all time. Going ahead, the Briton wants to make sure that after he retires there is better minority representation in F1.
Hamilton explains the origins of starting Mission 44
Lewis Hamilton and his father were inspired by the Williams sisters, Serena and Venus’s achievements in Tennis. At that time, Hamilton was still Karting. But the sight of two Black athletes dominating the sport inspired the youngster.
After achieving 7 world championships in 2020, Briton established himself as the greatest driver of all time. But he often felt like something was lacking.
Hamilton said, “I realized in 2020 what my north star was. For a long time, I have been winning races but I felt something was missing here.”
Lewis on F1:”I hope that I’m always a part of it..I don’t know how’s that’s going to be maybe we’ll always be with mission 44.. maybe I’ll be part of a team, maybe it’ll be finding the next young kid that comes from nothing & giving them an opportunity”
➡️https://t.co/bl6gqJTliQ pic.twitter.com/2XVShHhdVV
— Sir Lewis Hamilton Updates (@SirLewisUpdates) July 4, 2022
Since starting Mission 44, the driver has been an outspoken voice. The 103 GP winner considers the foundation a bigger achievement in his life than all his accolades combined. It is something he wishes to be remembered for
“It’s great to be winning races, but I have been put here for a reason. I am the only one who somehow got this far. I feel great living in my purpose and seeing the change.”
He also worked on the Hamilton commission which focuses on improving diversity in F1. All 10 F1 teams have accepted the recommendations of the charter and are actively working on it.
Important for minority kids to study STEM subjects
Hamilton faced discrimination and racism during his journey into F1. He felt the barriers would come down when he becomes an F1 driver, but this wasn’t the case and this inspired him to start his charity.
He said, “That’s why I started the Hamilton commission because no one else cared to do the work. In having that we brought down many of the barriers that were there.”
Lewis Hamilton explains the impact and change Ignite and Mission 44 have had 👇 pic.twitter.com/vUW0tX6y0i
— Sky Sports F1 (@SkySportsF1) February 15, 2023
Hamilton’s Mission 44 has worked to allow minorities to study STEM subjects and get into motorsports. The 7-time world champion believes this is the most important task in reducing the disparity and lack of diversity in F1.
He added, “It’s not only about giving access for young minorities to get into engineering, it’s across the board. The higher up you go, the less diverse it gets and the goal is to shift that.”
Mission 44 is planning to branch out of the UK, with operations set to start in US and Africa. The racer also started the “Ignite Charity” along with his team Mercedes, which will focus on diversity and inclusion in motorsport.
