Lewis Hamilton disguised himself as an engineer to surprise pupils on a tour of the home of his racing car team.
When the Formula 1 champion met the students at the Mercedes headquarters in Brackley, Northamptonshire, he was wearing a complete face mask.
He then took off the mask and introduced himself as Lewis, leaving the three students from a Camden, London, school “speechless”.
Hamilton expressed his desire to support and encourage upcoming engineers and drivers.
After disclosing his genuine name, the Stevenage resident, 36, took a seat with the students to address their inquiries and discuss the value of education, a good outlook, and commitment.
The children were advised by Hamilton to “keep believing” in themselves. He assured them, “If I can do it, you can do it 100%.
“The kids were given permission to tour the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team factory by wealth manager and team sponsor UBS.
It stated that Kieran, Elijah, and Hibo were picked due to their desire to work in the automotive and engineering sectors.
They were given a tour of the plant and briefed on the various tasks that go into producing a Formula One car that wins a championship.
Meeting Hamilton, according to Elijah, was “like a dream come true”. Prior to his tour, he stated:
“I really admire Lewis Hamilton because he’s black and he’s inspiring other black children to do whatever they can and that they should never give up on their dreams.” He remarked,
“Lewis said ‘if I can make it, anyone can make it,’ and that’s really inspiring,” after meeting the seven-time world champion. Hibo stated that she now believes
“I can become what I want to become” and that she hopes to create cars one day.
Kieran expressed that he felt motivated “to learn and learn more”.