Lewis Hamilton in disguise shocks children and delivers an inspiring message on the Mercedes tour

Lewis Hamilton dressed up to surprise three school children on a tour of the Mercedes factory.

Disguised as one of the engineers, he removed a steering wheel from his Mercedes W12 when the tour guide told him not to touch it. The seven-time world champion then took off the disguise and surprised the children.

He said to the children, “Keep believing in yourself, that is the most important thing because no one else will do it for you.

“If I can do it, then you can do it 100 percent. Everyone can do and achieve something great. “

The children selected for the surprise are enthusiastic about technology, which follows Hamilton’s ambition to bring more children from underrepresented backgrounds into motorsport.

He’s partnered with F1 Team Mercedes to set up a charitable fund called Mission 44, which is set to donate £ 20 million to help children over the next few years. Hamilton has stressed the need to encourage them to take STEM subjects in school in order to get a job in the motorsport industry in old age.

In the film, which was shot with Mercedes partner UBS, he added: “It’s difficult. When you don’t see it, sometimes it’s hard to believe that it is possible. I think it’s great that we are now working with schools. We are working to create a better pipeline for young people entering our industry because it is not diverse.

“Now is the time to act.”