Motorsport UK has published a three-year impact report on three of its equality, diversity and inclusion programmes, funded throughout by Mission 44 – the charitable foundation founded by seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton.
The report covers Race for Diversity, Girls on Track Regional Hubs and the Motorsport UK Inclusion Hub, and puts a number on what that funding has produced.
It shows the funding reached 38,426 people, a 28 percent rise in students from ethnically underrepresented backgrounds choosing STEM subjects at GCSE, and 212 training or employment opportunities created for people looking to build a career in motorsport.
Among the 4,300 young people worked with directly, more than 90 per cent are on pupil premium, the UK government’s marker for disadvantage.
Mission 44 has backed Motorsport UK since 2022, and the figures suggest that support is translating into measurable movement rather than one-off engagement.
Eighty-one percent of teachers involved in Race for Diversity reported their students showing greater interest in STEM subjects, while 93 percent of Inclusion Hub members said their awareness of opportunities in the sport had increased.
“Mission 44’s generous support has enabled Motorsport UK to strengthen and accelerate targeted activity linked to our EDI commitment,” said Hugh Chambers, Chief Executive Officer of Motorsport UK.
“This work matters deeply because the future strength of our sport depends on the people we welcome into it today.
“Motorsport has always been driven by passion, innovation and community, but for our sport to continue to grow, we must ensure that talent, ambition and curiosity are recognised everywhere, regardless of background, gender, ethnicity or circumstance.”
Framing talent recognition as a growth issue rather than a compliance exercise, is echoed on the funder’s side too.
Motorsport has always been driven by passion, innovation and community, but for our sport to continue to grow, we must ensure that talent, ambition and curiosity are recognised everywhere, regardless of background, gender, ethnicity or circumstance.
Hugh Chambers
Mission 44’s broader remit spans education and STEM careers generally, with motorsport one strand of that work rather than its sole focus.
“Since 2021, Mission 44 has worked to create a fairer future where every young person can thrive in school and pursue careers in STEM and motorsport,” said Jason Arthur, Chief Executive Officer of Mission 44, who was included in Sector50 – Sector’s list of the 50 individuals who have had a defining impact on the commercial side of the sport over the past twelve months.
“We’ve supported Motorsport UK since 2022 because of our shared belief that motorsport should reflect the diversity of the young people who love it.
“These programmes connect young people with industry partners, hands-on experiences, and the confidence and networks needed to turn ambition into opportunity.”
That industry access is where the report ties back most directly to the F1 paddock.
The Atlassian Williams F1 Team sits among 30 organisations listed as Inclusion Hub members, alongside the FIA Engineering Scholarship and the British Women’s Racing Drivers Club.
One Inclusion Hub participant credited a Shell x Scuderia Ferrari HP partner event specifically with leading to work experience at Lola Cars, the kind of single touchpoint the report’s data suggests is increasingly common rather than exceptional.
Girls on Track UK, the schools and regional hub programme also covered in the report, sits under the FIA’s global Girls on Track initiative, the same governing body that oversees the F1 grid itself.
Motorsport UK pointed out that the figures released in the report represent early evidence rather than a finished job, with the next phase focused on reaching more people and embedding inclusive practice more consistently across the sport.
