Academy awards eight new Masters in Motorsport scholarships to graduates of Black and mixed Black ethnic backgrounds
* Eight young graduates, made up of three women and five men, each receive a £28k grant to study for an MSc in motorsport engineering or associated discipline of eight students taken during event on 11 November in Formula 1® Exhibition Excel London.
The eight scholars include three women and five men and are the second cohort of students to receive financial and careers support under an innovative programme to help increase diversity in Formula 1 and the wider motorsport sector. The programme was launched in June 2022 to address a specific recommendation from The Hamilton Commission that Sir Lewis Hamilton MBE HonFREng set up to investigate the underrepresentation of Black people in UK motorsport and the STEM sector.
Mission 44 and the Academy welcomed the new awardees to the programme at a special event on 11 November at the Formula 1® Exhibitionat Excel London hosted by Ariana Bravo, Formula 1 presenter for Channel 4 and F1 TV. The latest scholars had a Q&A session with industry leaders and engineers from Formula 1® and the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 team at which they met some of the five scholars from the first year of the programme, four of whom have successfully secured jobs in F1 and wider sector. The event also included a tour of the exhibition and a session on the simulator.
Our eight new Masters in Motorsport Scholars are:
* Mohamed Elnadi, studying for an MSc in Aerodynamics and Computation at the University of Southampton
* Wesley Massumbukolt, studying for an MSc in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes University
* Steven Naaba, studying for an MSc in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes University
* Gerren Ntiri, studying for an MSc in Motorsport Engineering at Oxford Brookes University
* Tori Omamogho, studying for an MSc in Automotive Engineering with Electric Propulsion at the University of Bath
* Lily Owuye, studying for an MSc in Automotive Engineering at the University of Leeds
* Chris Tagnon, studying for an MPhil in Industrial Systems, Manufacture and Management at the University of Cambridge
* Mustafa Awadalla Youssef, studying for an MSc in Mechanical Engineering Design at the University of Manchester.
Dr Hayaatun Sillem CBE, Chief Executive of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said: “We are delighted to be supporting this new cohort of brilliant young engineers. This programme will give them incredible opportunities to meet representatives of many F1 and motorsport employers and we’ve already seen the success of the programme with last year’s graduates finding employment in the motorsport sector. We are grateful to Sir Lewis and Mission 44 for their support with this programme, which we hope will catalyse a step change in the employment of Black people in the UK motorsport sector.”
Jason Arthur, CEO Mission 44, said: “Mission 44 is proud to support the MSc Motorsport Scholarship programme which has already resulted in talented young engineers from Black and mixed Black backgrounds securing jobs in Formula 1. Programmes like these are vital if we are to see real change in the industry, and we’re looking forward to working with the Royal Academy of Engineering to empower the students announced today to succeed in their dream careers."
