Case Study nineteen
Sir Lewis Hamilton’s
‘Driving Change Capstone’
Mission 44
“For a long time I was winning races and thinking something was missing. I feel great that I am living my purpose and starting to see that change."
“With the industry I’m in, I’m always going to receive negative attention, but we don’t have to be perfect to be part of the solution. As a powerful voice in my industry, I have a responsibility to effect change from within Formula 1 as well as in all the other activities in which I am involved.”
—Sir Lewis Hamilton
SUMMARY
While many build their Capstone after stepping away from their field, Lewis is doing it during his apex. He reminds us: you don’t need to finish a career before you begin designing and actioning your Capstone. These projects aren’t just personal expressions of legacy, they can become blueprints for shifting entire ecosystems.
INTRODUCTION
In 1985, Willy T. Ribbs became the first Black man to test a Formula One car, driving for Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team. Yet it would be another 22 years before a Black driver actually competed in a Formula One race.
On 18 March 2007, a 22-year-old Lewis Hamilton made history. Debuting at the Australian Grand Prix for the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 team, he became the first Black driver to compete in an F1 race. Since then, he has secured more race wins and pole positions than any driver in history, matching Michael Schumacher with seven world titles. He was knighted in 2021 for his achievements in the sport.
As a mixed-race athlete, Lewis has reached A-list status—the most successful and recognisable face of the sport, a global icon. Yet 14 years after his debut, he remains the only Black driver ever to have competed in F1.
More than 50 drivers have entered the sport since 2007. None have been Black. And across the paddock, engineers, mechanics, commercial teams, the story is the same. His Capstone is focused on changing that: a lasting contribution designed to drive industry-wide change.
CORNERSTONE
Lewis’s parents split when he was just two years old, so he spent most weekends with his father, Anthony. They bonded over radio-controlled cars and watching F1 races together. Lewis drove a go-kart at age five, and by eight had a cobbled-together second-hand kart of his own. Despite the lack of shiny kit, by ten he was British Karting Champion.
That same year, Lewis approached McLaren boss Ron Dennis at an awards dinner and said:
“Hi. I’m Lewis Hamilton. I won the British Championship and one day I want to be racing your cars.”
Dennis replied in his autograph book:
“Phone me in nine years.”
Just three years later, McLaren signed him to their driver development programme.
At 15, Lewis won the European and World Karting Championships, becoming the youngest driver ever ranked world number one. His talent was undeniable, but karting was expensive. Many of his competitors came from more affluent families who could afford the best equipment and coaching.
His father Anthony sacrificed and risked a lot. He re-mortgaged the house multiple times, worked several jobs, and used his second wife Linda’s savings to fund Lewis’s racing. When Lewis joined McLaren’s programme at 13, Anthony quit his job as an IT manager to start a consulting business, giving him flexibility to support his son full-time.
“It is crazy, but he believed so much in me,” said Lewis.
They were often the only Black family at karting events.
“I’ve been fighting the stigma of racism throughout my racing career, mfrom kids throwing things at me while karting.”
Anthony would tell him:
“Do your talking on the track.”
“From an early age, my dad helped me understand that things would be more difficult for me because of my race.”
KEYSTONE
Lewis’s keystone achievements in Formula One are well documented. He made an immediate impact in his record-breaking rookie year and hasn’t looked back. He has earned hundreds of millions, yet remains relentless in pursuing on-track performance. He continues to push, and is the executor of over 1,200 teammates’ work behind the scenes, now at Ferrari, focused on giving him the fastest car possible. He sets the highest standard and leads from the front.
I first interviewed Lewis Hamilton in Shanghai in 2007 on behalf of a sponsor. He was quite shy but eager to deliver professional appearances for the team. He often went beyond what was required, signing caps and photos, staying longer than scheduled to answer questions. Young drivers are enthusiastic at first, until off-track obligations start to feel more like a chore and a distraction. The longer they stay in the sport, the more they start to push back on activities that aren’t about direct on-track performance.
During Lewis’s second season, I worked with him and McLaren at all but one of his 18 races. One morning during pre-season testing in Barcelona, I saw him eating breakfast alone. I hesitated, but he gestured to join him. He greeted me warmly, recognising me from the previous season. The best way to get the most out of Lewis was to create a competitive game out of an activity (especially if another driver was involved) or spark a conversation about something he was passionate about, music, cars, restaurants etc.
Later that day, the ‘Hamilton Family’ incident occurred, when ‘fans’ blacked up and hurled racist abuse from the stands across from the garage.
“I remember the pain that I felt that day, but I didn’t say anything about it; I didn’t have anyone,” he told The Wall Street Journal 14 years later. “No one said anything.”
I see that clearly now. At the time, he didn’t yet have the close-knit circle of trusted people that surrounds him today. It was brushed aside and the focus remained on performance, but it stayed with him, and now sits at the heart of his purpose-led narrative.
In 2021, he reflected:
“I’m used to being one of very few people of colour on my teams and, more than that, I’m used to the idea that no one will speak up for me when I face racism, because no one personally feels or understands my experience.”
I may never fully understand that experience. Credit to Lewis for the grace and clarity with which he has navigated it.
Fast forward to November 2008, at the Interlagos circuit in São Paulo. Lewis needed to finish fifth or better to secure the world title. On the final corner of the final lap of the final race of the season, he passed Timo Glock, and clinched the championship by a single point. He became the sport’s youngest-ever champion, and only in his second season. I was there, managing one of the team sponsors. I vividly remember the party that night, McLaren had taken over a converted warehouse in Morumbi. It was the one party you wanted to be at in the world that night.
Looking back, I can only really count on one hand the number of Black people in that room: Lewis, his father Anthony, his brother Nic, Nicole Scherzinger (his girlfriend at the time), and a McLaren mechanic named Rodney Morgan.
Lewis’s relationship with his dad was central, but complicated. When they agreed Anthony would no longer attend races, it left both a positive and a difficult void. Another significant loss came in 2016 with the passing of Finnish performance coach Dr. Aki Hintsa, whose 'Hintsa Method' centred on knowing who you are and what you want, seeing performance as a by-product of wellbeing.
There was a period when Lewis was rarely alone. A carousel of A-list celebrities followed him around race weekends. But the attention didn’t anchor him, it isolated him. Many of those people were transactional. They distracted him from his core, rather than keeping him grounded.
That changed when he surrounded himself with trusted confidants—Marc Hynes (manager/strategic advisor) and Angela Cullen (performance physio) among them. Having the right people around him wasn’t just stabilising; it aligned him. The shift was as much internal as it was external.
“I think it’s important in life to put positive people around you. You can’t go around with dead weights; you can’t be with people who don’t inspire you to be better and lift you up when you’re down,” said Lewis.
Speaking about Angela:
“People for sure won’t understand it… but she has been one of the greatest things that’s happened to me in my life.”
At the end of the 2019 season, Lewis was in a different headspace. Looking at the traditional end-of-year team photo, he noticed what had always been there: the lack of diversity, among drivers, engineers, pit crews. It landed with force. It was time for a new chapter. One where his voice wouldn’t just be heard, it would have intention. And accountability.
CAPSTONE
CAPSTONE LEARNINGS
2020 marked a turning point. Lewis began using his platform more deliberately, amplifying major societal issues at races. He became vocal in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and, at the Tuscan Grand Prix that September, wore a shirt reading: “Arrest the cops who killed Breonna Taylor.” He invited all drivers to take the knee pre-race and spoke openly about equality and justice in the sport and beyond.
He wasn’t stepping away from Formula One, he was using it.
Lewis has long operated through Project 44, the company that manages his business and career away from the track. Within that setup sits his philanthropic work, partnerships, and investments. This essentially is him looking towards his Capstone phase.
He has shifted his thinking towards legacy, beyond titles and records. It’s a mindset he’s been evolving into for a while. A shift in priorities. A transition toward activist, entrepreneur, and changemaker.
If his earlier years were focused on raising awareness, now was the time to take tangible action. That mindset shift led to the following initiatives:
THE HAMILTON COMMISSION
In June 2020, Lewis took the smart step to understand the specific barriers to recruitment and progression for Black people within UK motorsport. He formed The Hamilton Commission alongside the Royal Academy of Engineering. What followed was a ten-month research period that included data analysis, stakeholder mapping, a literature review in sport, education and employment, as well as primary quantitative and qualitative research with young people and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders.
The result was the landmark 2021 report: Accelerating Change: Improving Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport—anchored by ten actionable recommendations to drive systemic reform.
Since its publication, the Hamilton Commission has gone beyond research—catalysing industry-wide action. Its recommendations have led to F1’s Diversity & Inclusion Charter, new pipelines through scholarships and apprenticeships, and the annual Igniting Inclusion summit connecting young talent with senior motorsport leaders.
MISSION 44
Lewis founded Mission 44 with a personal donation of $27 million. The foundation backs young people from underrepresented groups, building new pathways into education, STEM, and ultimately, careers in motorsport, including Formula One.
“Despite my success in the sport, the institutional barriers that have kept F1 highly exclusive persist. It is not enough to point to me, or to a single new Black hire, as a meaningful example of progress. Thousands of people are employed across this industry, and that group needs to be more representative of society.”
Mission 44 is the engine room of his Capstone, moving from awareness to action.
PUSHING HIS TEAMS AND SPONSORS
Lewis’s final contract negotiations with his former team Mercedes were not just about salary or race terms, they were about legacy. He pushed for a deeper commitment to diversity and inclusion, making it a condition of his renewal.
As a result, Mercedes partnered with Lewis on Ignite, an initiative aimed at broadening the pipeline of diverse talent into motorsport, through STEM education, apprenticeships, and funding for students from underrepresented backgrounds. The team pledged that 25 percent of new hires would come from these groups, marking a significant cultural shift.
This wasn’t the first time Mercedes visibly backed him. In 2020, they changed their livery from silver to black in solidarity, an unprecedented statement in the sport’s history.
The idea for the foundation came during conversations between Lewis, Team Principal Toto Wolff, and Daimler CEO Ola Källenius, who had known Lewis since his early McLaren days. As Wolff explained:
“The foundation was a joint idea that came up while we were discussing the new contract, because we felt that making a real financial contribution to our diversity and equality project was an important statement.”
Lewis also challenged sponsors, asking what they were doing to match the ambition.
“For 15 years, I have remained one of the few Black employees within Formula 1, and I am proud that my work with Mercedes is going to change that for the better.”
“If I don’t push forwards and make sure that this Hamilton Commission actually delivers, this sport is not going to be more diverse in the next five to ten years. I’ve got to stay on top of it. I’ve got to be engaged. I’ve got to continue to keep people on their toes. Keeping these conversations going is holding people accountable—and I am not afraid of doing that. If I don’t do it, who will?”
That final Mercedes contract became more than a racing agreement, it was a blueprint for social accountability in elite sport. He left the team at the end of that deal, but the impact remains.
Lewis took the same approach to Ferrari’s sponsors. In May 2025, title sponsor HP announced a multi-year partnership to fuel access to technology and skills needed to pursue a career in STEM. This collaboration unites Mission 44’s drive for greater inclusivity in STEM with HP’s ambition to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people globally by 2030, equipping disconnected adolescents and adults with the critical skills needed to thrive in the future of work.
FINAL REFLECTION
Lewis is not just striving for individual greatness, he’s celebrating and enabling system change for Black excellence. His focus is on improving both visibility and opportunity, creating the role models he didn’t see growing up in motor racing.
As Wired magazine captured:
“Over the years his motivation has shifted, from impressing his dad, to proving the doubters wrong, to emulating and beating his heroes.
‘But in this race, I was thinking’ - he taps the desk in front of him for emphasis: ‘I’ve got to win this race for Breonna. I’ve got to get on the podium to be able to wear this shirt. That was my drive, and that really became my drive through the whole year, encouraging people out there to use their voice to speak out. That became a new motivation for me. All of a sudden, I had this different energy. I was racing for something and somebody else.’”
There it is, the evolution of Lewis Hamilton:
Cornerstone (impressing his Dad, learning his craft)
Keystone (mastering his craft, beating his heroes and achieving greatness)
Capstone (a wider purpose with and for others)
“When I look back in 20 years, I want to see the sport that gave a shy, working-class Black kid from Stevenage so much opportunity become as diverse as the complex and multicultural world we live in.”
“Winning championships is great, but I want to be remembered for my work creating a more equal society through education. That’s what drives me.”
Lewis has instigated change early, not waiting for his F1 driver career to finish, making his legacy part of his career. Now, he can see that change whilst he’s still at the top.