Oxford students begin scholarship funded by Lewis Hamilton

The scholarships are provided through a grant from the charity founded by the seven-times World Drivers’ Champion.

Amjad Saeed and Jonathan Keeya both started their MSc in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes this academic year.

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The scheme was set up to address the underrepresentation of people from a Black or mixed Black ethnic background in UK motorsport.

Amjad Saeed at Silverstone Museum (Image: Mission 44)

The pair are two of the first five students to benefit from the scholarship that was set up in June 2022, funded by Hamilton’s foundation Mission 44 and supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Mr Saeed, from London, said: “Receiving this scholarship has opened up a door for me I never would have been able to open myself, one where I can get myself into Oxford Brookes, and give my all into a career path I truly have a passion for, motorsport, and I’m thankful every day for it.

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“Being part of the first cohort of awardees excites me, it gives me the opportunity to help shape the scholarship and bring more prospective awardees to it, and to build it to something even more amazing with the Royal Academy of Engineering and Mission 44.

“I chose Oxford Brookes because of their motorsport pedigree and the amazing industry ties and support system they have.

Mr Keeya, from New Malden, South West London, said: “The scholarship will have a lifelong impact on my career and it motivates me to prove what I am capable of with the right support and work ethic.

“I chose to come to Oxford Brookes because there’s a concrete legacy of producing graduates who are at the industry standard for motorsport.”

Jonathan Keeya at Silverstone Museum (Image: Mission 44)

Each student on the scholarship will receive a grant of £25,000 for their tuition fees and living costs.

In October, the five students attended a networking event at Silverstone Museum, where they met staff from Mission 44, The Royal Academy of Engineering, and engineers from the Mercedes F1 team.

They were also given a tour of the museum and had sessions in an F1 car simulator.

Gordana Collier, head of the school of engineering, computing and mathematics at Oxford Brookes University said: “Oxford Brookes has a proud and long-standing reputation in motorsport teaching and employability.

“We are delighted that this has been recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering and the high-flying students Amjad and Jonathan, who chose us for their further academic studies.”

The scholarship programme was launched following The Hamilton Commission’s report ‘Accelerating Change: Improving Representation of Black People in UK Motorsport’, which highlighted an underrepresentation of black people in the motorsport industry.

Lewis Hamilton
Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, chief executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, who co-chaired the Hamilton Commission, said: “It is imperative that engineers better reflect the diversity of the society they serve and that engineering careers are not only open to all but are seen to be open to all.

“The recommendations in the Hamilton Commission report were intended to make that a reality for the motorsport sector, which relies so heavily on a technical workforce.”

Katie Miller, Head of Impact at Mission 44, said: "The first recipients of the MSc Motorsport Scholarship represent an exciting step towards addressing the barriers for black and mixed black students and a more diverse motorsport sector.

“The scholarship aims not only to address financial barriers but provide the wrap-around and community support to accelerate their careers.

“This is just the start of their journeys and we can't wait to see where the next year takes them."