Formula One has launched a collaboration with Mission 44, the charity founded by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, to help drive forward diversity in motorsport.
Confirmed:
- Mission 44 becomes latest charity to be officially supported by Formula One
- Series will support Mission 44 in raising awareness of its work and connect the charity with organisations across motorsport to identify apprenticeships and similar opportunities for young people from underrepresented groups
Context:
This agreement builds on previous collaborations between Formula One and Mission 44, which has included the series facilitating experiences for students from underrepresented groups to inspire them to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and motorsport. Last year, Mission 44 and Formula One delivered outreach programmes in Austin, Silverstone and Sao Paulo, positively impacting more than 150 young people.
Since its launch, Mission 44 has advocated for greater representation, diversity and inclusion in motorsport to create meaningful change for young people facing social injustice through education, empowerment and employment opportunities.
Comment:
Ellen Jones, head of ESG at Formula One, said: “Over the last few years, it has been a pleasure to support Mission 44 in its efforts to make our sport more diverse and give students and young people their first taste of the world of F1 and motorsport.
“We look forward to working with Mission 44 in this new capacity and seeing how many doors we can open together to inspire the next generation.”
Jason Arthur, chief executive of Mission 44, added: “When Lewis Hamilton launched Mission 44 three years ago, it was with the ambition to create a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world.
“Together with Formula One, we will be able to increase awareness and access to motorsport career opportunities, so young people, no matter their background, can succeed. Change requires collective action, and we’re excited to grow our partnership with Formula 1 to drive diversity in motorsport forward.”
Coming next:
Formula One and Mission 44 will host a networking event at this weekend’s British Grand Prix, bringing together scholars from the Formula One engineering and Mission 44 MSc motorsport engineering scholarship programmes to share their knowledge and help with their professional development.
Go deeper:
- Diversity, equity and inclusion guide: Tracking the initiatives driving change in motorsport
- Lewis Hamilton ‘in talks’ to buy Gresini MotoGP team
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