Austin, Texas – Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said a race in Africa was a dream that could keep him going longer in the sport now that Formula One has a deal with Rwanda for a grand prix in the early 2030s. The Ferrari driver will be 42 in January and has a contract for 2027. Fernando Alonso, the oldest active F1 driver, is 45 and recently signed up for another season with Aston Martin.
Grand Prix on Thursday during a news conference alongside championship leader Kimi Antonelli. If I can still punch out good results over the next year, we’ll keep it going.” Antonelli, who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes last season and is still only 20 years old, encouraged him: “You got to do at least the first one.” Hamilton, the sport’s first and only Black champion, has long campaigned for a race in Africa — a continent that last hosted a race at South Africa’s Kyalami circuit in 1993 — and spoke of his efforts. Who are you meeting with?’ “Many meetings with different presidents from different countries.
Lots of phone calls with different presidents from different countries within Africa,” he recalled. It’s about more than just one country. It’s about the continent itself.” Hamilton said an African race would make people more aware of the continent, but recognized there were concerns.
Human rights campaigner Amnesty International recently accused Formula One of hollow words and offering Rwanda a “sportswashing prize” — an accusation leveled at countries perceived to be using sports to improve a tarnished image abroad. But I think we really have to approach it with humility. So hopefully many people start to educate themselves a little bit more about what is happening there and what has happened there for hundreds of years.
I hope that does spark the conversation.”
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