Hamilton on powerful 10 Downing Street visit for education: “I was at risk, I did get expelled”

Lewis Hamilton met with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in early June

Lewis Hamilton has opened up about his visit to 10 Downing Street earlier this month.

The British Formula 1 driver met with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson to discuss changes to the education system and ways Hamilton's Mission 44 charity could be implemented into government policy.

"Yeah, very pretty special day, I was fortunate to have a call with the Prime Minister, and just discussing the work that is needed within education and the work that we're doing at Mission 44," the seven-time F1 champion explained.

"And he invited me down and I said it's really important that we get young people in the room, so we brought some young students, some that are working within communities that are suffering - in terms of kids getting expelled.

"So we had all these kids from different backgrounds come in and speak directly to the Prime Minister, and we're working on shifting several policies within education to improve school attendance, reduce exclusions, because I was one of those kids that was at risk of that and did get expelled.

"It's just the beginning of the work I think that we're going to be able to do, and they're obviously very focused on improving education in the UK, so it was a really special day."

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

Hamilton shared the details of his visit on Instagram, writing, "The future of education must be inclusive. Today, myself, @mission44, our partners, and some incredible students met with the UK Prime Minister for an important discussion on how we can make sure all young people are supported to succeed in school, regardless of their background.

"I struggled in school and never felt like my voice was heard, so I know firsthand that ensuring every student feels they belong in school is vital.

"I’m grateful that off the back of this meeting, the government has committed to working with Mission 44 to enact change focused on making the education system more inclusive. I’m so proud of how far M44 has come in such a short space of time and the opportunity we have to transform the lives of vulnerable students across the country.

"I encourage everyone to head to the Mission 44 website to find out more about today’s announcement and support our work. We can create a fairer, more compassionate world, together."