“Now I have to stay longer”… Lewis Hamilton welcomes the return of F1 to Africa

What if Lewis Hamilton had found a new reason to extend the adventure? The seven-time world champion welcomed, Thursday October 22 on the sidelines of the United States GP in Austin, the announced return of Formula 1 to Africa, to Rwanda, at the beginning of the 2030s. An event that he hopes to experience at the wheel of a single-seater. “Now I have to stay longer [in F1] because we are going to have a race in Africa! It was my dream to have the opportunity to race in Africa,” said the Ferrari driver at a press conference.

The Briton, who had long campaigned for the return of an African Grand Prix, was encouraged by Kimi Antonelli. The young Italian from Mercedes, who can win his first world crown this weekend, told him that he should "at least do the first Grand Prix" in Rwanda. Hamilton nodded. “Yes! I will continue to fight to stay in shape if I can. If I manage to achieve good results next year, I will continue” my career, he assured.

F1 must therefore return to Africa in the early 2030s, after signing a ten-year contract with Rwanda. The future circuit must be built in Bugesera, near the new airport, about forty kilometers south of Kigali. However, it is not expected to be completed before the start of the next decade. The last Grand Prix contested on the continent dates back to 1993, in Kyalami, South Africa. Alain Prost then won ahead of Ayrton Senna.

Beyond just the return of F1, the British legend took advantage of his speech to discuss the situation on the African continent and, more broadly, several conflicts around the world. “I really hope that Africa will unify,” he pleaded, believing that “many of the problems they encountered there [were] still the result of colonization and Western interventions.”

The seven-time world champion also insisted on the riches of the continent. “If you go there and meet the people, you see that today, a lot of big brand designs come from Africa, and that the continent has the richest resources,” he continued.

"I really hope, and I still have hope, that Africa will unite. I know a lot of people don't want that to happen, because it would be extremely powerful if it did, but I remain hopeful that one day it will unite."

Then Lewis Hamilton broadened his remarks to several regions of the planet: “We have to make sure that we work to liberate the Congo, liberate Sudan, liberate Syria, liberate Palestine,” he told the press around the world. “I think there is a lot of peace that I hope we will end up, at some point, achieving.”