Lewis Hamilton says he will not walk away from Formula 1 without racing in a grand prix in Africa, revealing he has spent years pushing the sport’s leadership to return to the continent.
The seven-time world champion said he has been “fighting in the background” for six or seven years, repeatedly asking why Africa is not on the calendar.
“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there,” Hamilton said. “I’m chasing them – when is it going to be? They’re setting certain dates. I’m like, damn, I could be running out of time, so I’m going to be here for a while until that happens.”
Hamilton, Formula 1’s first black driver, has long spoken about his pride in his Afro-Caribbean heritage. He says racing in Africa would carry deep personal meaning.
Despite his lobbying, there is currently no realistic prospect of a race on the continent before the end of the decade. Rwanda was recently linked with hosting a round, but talks have cooled. Previous efforts to revive the South African Grand Prix at Kyalami or stage a race in Cape Town also fell through.
Kyalami last hosted Formula 1 in 1993, shortly before the end of apartheid.
Hamilton also voiced concern about the continued exploitation of African nations by wealthier Western countries.
“It is the most beautiful part of the world, and I don’t like that the rest of the world owns so much of it and takes so much from it,” he said. “They have all the resources to be the greatest and most powerful place in the world.”
A Reset After a Difficult Season
Away from the political dimension, Hamilton says he has “rediscovered” himself following a challenging first season with Ferrari in 2025. A run of disappointing results led to unusually self-critical comments, including describing himself as “useless”.
Over the winter, he focused on rebuilding his mindset.
“The break was really positive,” he said. “It’s not my first rodeo. It’s understanding how to flip things. I kind of lost sight for a second of who I was. And that person’s gone.”
Hamilton added that he now feels far more integrated within Ferrari after a year adapting to what he described as a “very different culture” compared to Mercedes and McLaren.
Ferrari failed to win a race last season but are optimistic under sweeping new regulations. Hamilton believes the team are “sharp, prepared and know what we need to do”, though he acknowledges the scale of the challenge ahead.
For now, one ambition stands above the rest: before the final chapter of his career is written, Hamilton wants to see Formula 1’s lights go out on African soil — with him on the grid.
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