At Mission 44 we share our founder, Sir Lewis Hamilton’s ambitions for a more inclusive and diverse motorsport sector. We aim to inspire and open doors for young people into the sport with a particular focus on the creativity and variety of STEM roles available.

Over the past year, we’ve partnered with a range of bold and innovative organisations that support underrepresented young people and are working hard to address the barriers that they face. These initiatives are focused on:

• tackling gender stereotypes that discourage young women and girls from pursuing careers in STEM
• addressing financial barriers to continued education
• raising awareness of the breadth of career opportunities across STEM and motorsports

Last week, we were able to build upon the incredible work of our partners and bring over 50 young people impacted by these initiatives to the Silverstone Circuit, home of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix. The day included a chance to meet Sir Lewis Hamilton himself, visit the paddock, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team garage, and even meet Roscoe!

At the Silverstone University Technology College we heard inspiring stories from young people already pursuing careers in STEM and and through a little help from LEGO, got hands-on in prototyping and coding individual ‘race cars’. We learnt how a career in STEM is about creativity and mindsets. It’s about problem solving,, learning and trying again… and again.

The day was also a chance to look ‘behind the scenes’ – beyond what we see on TV. We met with a range of individuals from marshalls, engineers, data analysts, software developers and those working to make the sport more sustainable. Together, they all make the sport possible and as Sir Lewis told the young people ‘it is possible and there is space for you here’.

Moments like these are catalysts for change and hopefully just the beginning of ongoing journeys and careers. As one young person highlighted, after witnessing the level of collaboration in an F1 garage, it’s about teamwork and it took a great deal of teamwork to make the day possible.

Thank you to all the organisations that contributed as well as the many brilliant Mission 44 partners and friends that helped bring the young people to Silverstone and will continue to support young people every step of the way:

Katie Miller,
Head of Impact, Mission 44