Lewis Hamilton makes 'revamping' joke after 'special' meeting

Lewis Hamilton has reflected on his meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer at 10 Downing Street last week - and dropped a big hint about changes that need to be made.

The British driver, through his Mission 44 foundation, has taken a leading role in advocating for improvement in the nation's schools, including by lobbying the government.

Following a joint statement, which was cosigned by 25 organisations in the youth and educational sector, the seven-time F1 drivers' champion was invited to 10 Downing Street for a roundtable on enhancing conditions and standards in schools.

When asked about his visit, Hamilton further explained how it came to pass and some of the key areas of focus.

"Yeah, pretty special day," the Ferrari driver told media including RacingNews365. "I was fortunate to have a call with the Prime Minister and we were just discussing the work that is needed within education and the work that we’re doing at Mission 44.

"He invited me down. 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.

"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 we’re going to be able to do.

"They’re obviously very focused on improving education in the UK. It was a really special day. I hope it’s not the last time through that door, for sure."

A playful joke at 10 Downing Street's expense

The government outlined three broad pledges from the meeting, which was also attended by Secretary of State for Education Bridget Phillipson.

Hamilton, however, was also eying up further changes that need to be made - to 10 Downing Street itself.

The 40-year-old joked about how the building could do with some "revamping" given its age and listed status.

"I think it's a Grade 1 building, so it's very old," he added. "You walk in and you're like, it needs revamping!

"But you can feel the history when you go in there. It's pretty incredible. There's a staircase in there that has all the images of all the Prime Ministers going back to the early 1800s.

"In the main room at the back, where we sat around this table – big decisions, like Winston Churchill would have been sitting there making decisions back in World War II. You could feel that. It was incredible to be there."