Messaging service WhatsApp has today premiered a stylish 11 minute branded entertainment film on YouTube entitled ‘Push Push’. Created in partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team and Formula 1 icon Lewis Hamilton, the short film sees Hamilton discuss the challenges he faced in his rise to stardom with a diverse group of teenagers. Integrated into the film are references to how WhatsApp supported Hamilton on his journey by keeping him connected with his support network.
Dropping the film on its YouTube channel, WhatsApp explained the rationale for the project and how it came together: “At WhatsApp, we believe the right message at the right time can mean everything. After his victory in Silverstone, we invited 7-time world champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team to sit down with a few teens to share the lessons that he’s learned on his journey. From issues in school with dyslexia, escaping through go-karting, finding his place on the global stage and fighting back to the top after a 945-day drought, he reminds us that no matter where you’re trying to go, you’ll get there if you go together.”
Directed by J.M. Harper, the film sees a remarkably candid Hamilton being quizzed by the teens about the alienation of being the only black youngster coming up through karting and into motor racing. “A lot of kids gave me a hard time over what I looked like and where I was from,” Hamilton says. “I never saw another black driver. It was so isolating. I just kept thinking if I win the race there’s no way they can stop me.”
The film is part of a wider partnership between WhatsApp and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team. It has been released ahead of the US Grand Prix and, at time of writing, had clocked up 10,000 views via WhatsApp’s channel.
