Lewis Hamilton urges African nations to take back their continent.
Lewis Hamilton has advocated for a movement to “reclaim Africa,” asserting that the continent is under the influence of European powers.
As the new Formula 1 season approaches, the seven-time champion expressed his desire to participate in a grand prix on African territory before concluding his career.
However, the 41-year-old Briton, who is F1’s first black race driver, went further. He indicated that former colonial powers continue to wield excessive influence in the region and urged for efforts to counteract that dominance.
The Ferrari driver informed reporters in Melbourne: “I have heritage from several different places there, such as Togo and Benin. I take great pride in that part of the world.
“I believe it is the most beautiful region on the planet, and I dislike that much of it is owned by the rest of the world, which extracts so much without discussion. I truly hope that the leaders of those various nations unite and come together to reclaim Africa.
“That is what I wish to see. Reclaim it from the French, reclaim it from the Spanish, reclaim it from the Portuguese and the British. This is crucial for the continent’s future. They possess all the resources to become the most significant and powerful place in the world, which is likely why they are being controlled as they are.”
Regarding the prospect of an African grand prix, he reaffirmed his ongoing support for the concept and his aspirations to witness it realized before his retirement.
“For the last six or seven years, I have been advocating behind the scenes for a grand prix… engaging with stakeholders and posing the question, ‘why are we not in Africa?’,” he stated.
“I do not want to exit the sport without having a grand prix there, without experiencing a race there, so I am pursuing them. They are establishing certain dates, and I think, ‘wow, I could be running out of time,’ so I will remain here for a while until that occurs. That would be incredible, considering I am half African.
– 2026 F1 rules: What’s new on the cars; how will changes affect the racing?
– Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton: I lost sight of who I was … but I’m back
“There is one on every other continent, so why not Africa? I know they are making significant efforts.”
Having traveled widely across the continent, Hamilton shared his thoughts on potential host countries, stating: “I think they have visited quite a few different nations. I loved Kenya — I don’t believe we will have a grand prix in Kenya — but Rwanda, in particular, was remarkable. South Africa is beautiful.
“I think those are the locations I believe would be suitable for us to potentially consider.”
Source: espn.com
