In July 2021, The Hamilton Commission – launched by Sir Lewis Hamilton alongside the Royal Academy of Engineering – concluded ten months of research by publishing its final report, Accelerating Change: Improving Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport. Two years on from the report’s publication, Mission 44 has seen the industry as a whole take significant steps forward in its efforts to make motorsport more diverse and representative.

Significant progress has been made across the recommendations and to support broader underrepresented groups including women and girls and economically disadvantaged young people. Particular progress has been seen through increased collaboration, tackling and preventing barriers in education, and improving access and progression in STEM and motorsport careers. Key headlines so far include a significant increase in scholarship and apprenticeship opportunities in motorsport; launching Mission 44’s partnership with Teach First to increase the number of Black STEM teachers inspiring future engineers and mathematicians; and Formula 1, its teams, and the Royal Academy of Engineering driving forward an F1 Diversity Equity and Inclusion Charter to help monitor the progress of diversity in the sport.

Jason Arthur, CEO Mission 44 said:

“Every young person has potential, but for too long, those from underserved backgrounds have not seen themselves represented in Formula 1, motorsport or the wider STEM industry. The publication of the Hamilton Commission was a historic moment, providing an opportunity to create change. From the classroom to the circuit, I’m incredibly proud of the work Mission 44 has done to increase diversity and inclusion, opening doors for young people to thrive.”

Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, CEO of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Co-Chair, The Hamilton Commission said:

“‘As Co-Chair of The Hamilton Commission, I am delighted to see the progress that has been made in implementing the recommendations and addressing the barriers that the report identified. While there is still much work to do, I have been very encouraged by the increased focus on improving diversity and inclusion within motorsport and the greater degree of collaboration across those working to strengthen representation and equity.’ The Royal Academy of Engineering has also continued to support progress towards increasing diversity and inclusion in motorsport and engineering more broadly, and we are looking forward to announcing the first five awardees of the new Motorsport Scholarships MSc programme, supported by Mission 44, in September.”

Declan, 17, Hertfordshire said:

“I really would like to go into engineering. There’s so much more to it than what you see on the TV. It’s amazing to see how so many people can work together to build something as incredible as the [F1] car. I like that it’s collaborative. From sustainability to the mechanics in the garage, it would be really nice to work amongst them.”

A full breakdown of progress made so far can be found below.

Raising aspirations and sector wide collaboration:

• Motorsport UK Girls on Track and Race for Diversity programme has reached 2,254 young people over the last 12 months.
• The Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers UK (AFBE-UK) with support of Mission 44, is expanding their programmes with the aim to increase the number of ethnic minority young people pursuing careers in engineering motorsport careers.
• Mission 44 and Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team brought over 50 young people to Silverstone to explore and learn more about the creativity and variety of roles in motorsport. The model is due to be rolled out globally.
• Formula 1 Management (FOM), the FIA and F1 teams created a Diversity and Inclusion Working Group to engage young people from diverse backgrounds and create career opportunities across motorsports.
• Formula 1, Teams and the FIA, in collaboration with The Smallpeice Trust have worked together on STEM Challenge Days, reaching over 400 secondary school students.
• Formula 1 launched Careers Insight Days, welcoming local school students to its Media & Technology Centre.
• Formula 1 launched an all-female driver category, the F1 Academy, to develop and prepare young female drivers. From 2024 the series will join the F1 calendar, and all 10 teams will have a driver and their livery on one car, further raising awareness for the series globally.
• F1 Academy launched F1 Academy Discover Your Drive, a global initiative aimed at increasing the female talent pool in motorsport both on and off the track. As part of the initiative, F1 Academy launched their first talent identification programme, F1 Academy Discover Your Drive Karting UK. The programme operated by Motorsport UK and TeamSport Karting will look to find and nurture the next generation of young female karters
• Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 team and The Aleto Foundation announced a partnership providing a bespoke leadership programme for 15 young people from ethnic minority groups to learn about opportunities in motorsport and F1.
• Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team also hosted a Make a Mark Day at their new AMR Technology Campus for 150 students.

Tackling barriers in education:

• Mission 44 has led work to address key systemic barriers in the UK education system identified by The Hamilton Commission, including a lack of diverse STEM teachers. In 2021, Mission 44 partnered with Teach First to launch a national campaign, STEM from Black, to recruit more Black STEM teachers and inspire the next generation of mathematicians, scientists and engineers.
• Mission 44 has partnered with Sky to launch the Preventing Exclusions Fund tackling school exclusions and supporting vulnerable learners from Black and Caribbean Communities.
• Mission 44 is working with Gender Action to address gender stereotypes that prevent girls from ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds from pursuing STEM careers.

Improving access to STEM and motorsport careers:

• The Royal Academy of Engineering launched the MSc Motorsport Scholarship Programme, supported by Mission 44. Five exceptional Black or mixed Black students have been provisionally offered awards, providing full funding for tuition fees and living expenses alongside career support. The next round of scholarships will open in autumn 2023.
• Bradford College, Bradford Council and The Leap, with support from Mission 44, launched Fuelling Futures and provide apprenticeship bursaries to young people from underserved communities.
• Formula 1’s Engineering Scholarship which has supported 20 students with the full cost of their tuition and living allowance and will support a further 30 students by 2025.
• Formula 1 launched a one-week paid legal vacation scheme with Aspiring Solicitors to improve diversity and representation in the legal profession.
• Formula 1, with the support of the Social Mobility Business Partnership (SMBP) launched “The Next Grand Prix” business workshop.
• The Extreme E electric off-road racing series launched the Racing for All programme creating opportunities for the next generation of engineering and mechanical talent to work with teams including McLaren XE, Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti XE and Lewis Hamilton’s own X44 team.
• McLaren Racing’s 60 Scholars programme supports the next generation of female leaders in STEM as part of their sustainability strategy
• Through their Accelerate 25 programme, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team has established the Mulberry STEM Academy in partnership with the Mulberry Schools Trust. To date 155 students have graduated from the 12-month programme with a further 114 students starting their STEM journey this year.
• The Team’s Accelerate 25 partners also include the Stemettes, AFBE-UK and the Sutton Trust. Together, they are working to inspire and motivate talented students from under-represented groups towards STEM education, both at school, on to further education and ultimately to technical careers in STEM subjects.

The future of diversity in motorsport:

Formula 1 is in a period of significant transformation, with teams across the paddock working on individual diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) commitments. More broadly, Formula 1, the Formula 1 Teams, and the Royal Academy of Engineering are driving forward a key recommendation from The Hamilton Commission’s report – the F1 Charter. Together, they will be creating working groups with the teams and putting in place structures for ongoing monitoring and reporting to measure the impact and progress of these many new programmes and initiatives.

A more inclusive and diverse motorsport sector will not happen overnight. And whilst Mission 44 will continue its commitment to invest in the recommendations, it will take stakeholders from across the industry to continue to join forces to create long term systemic change.