An F1 enthusiast who has met Sir Lewis Hamilton himself, Avria Edayna tells us what Mission44 is all about.
Mission44 is a global charitable foundation founded by Formula 1 driver Sir Lewis Hamilton. The reason it was founded was because Lewis wanted to address a lack of diversity in motorsport and STEM careers, and to combat systemic barriers Hamilton experienced in education himself whilst at the same time build a fairer, more inclusive future for young people around the world.
The name ‘Mission44’ is a reference to Lewis’ racing number, it is his lucky number from his childhood go-karting days, which also happens to be the number on his father’s car license plate.
It, the ‘mission’ helps build an inclusive education system in which every young person is fully supported to succeed while creating opportunities for them to pursue careers in STEM and motorsport.
Before launching the charity, Lewis funded The Hamilton Commission. In it, the data from the report revealed that less than 1% of F1 engineering jobs were held by people from black backgrounds. Mission 44 was built to directly solve the issues exposed by that report.
The great man put his own money on the line to launch the foundation, pledging a massive 20 million Euros of his personal wealth to kickstart the fund.
Since its launch in 2021, Mission44 has reached over 550,000 young people globally. In addition to that, 100% graduated and the vast majority immediately secured jobs in F1 or elite motorsport. How about that, huh?
The foundation has rapidly expanded by pulling in global corporate heavyweights, and recently securing a partnership with IT giant HP. Mission44 also collaborates with Snapdragon, IBM and American Express to name a few.
While it kicked-off as a UK only thing, Mission44 has gone totally global, launching programs in countries such as Brazil and the United States.
At the end of the day, Sir Lewis Hamilton has nothing left to prove on the racetrack. With Mission 44, he’s shifting his focus from winning championships to changing lives. (Of course, he wants that 8th World Championship and we want him to 😊). In time, he will also prove that his biggest legacy won’t be just his multiple trophies and records, but the doors he opens for the next generation.
