Hamilton lobbies for Africa and says: We must have a Grand Prix there!

In recent years, Formula 1 has tried to be as fan-friendly as possible around the world, hosting over twenty Grands Prix a year. However, there is one continent where racing is lacking, and that is in Africa. And it is South Africa where seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is trying to make his case to F1 management. So far, unsuccessfully.

The queen of motorsport raced in Africa several times in the second half of the last century. The last time the Kyalami circuit was contested for championship points was in 1993, when legendary French driver Alain Prost won.

Now the British champion is looking to return to South Africa. “Behind the scenes I’m pushing hard to get the Grand Prix here,” Hamilton told the Racing News 365 website. “We have to have the Grand Prix there,” he added.

The chances of the South African race returning to the calendar as early as next year virtually fell with weekend news of a contract extension with Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit. The certainty of another race at the legendary track made not only most drivers happy, but F1 fans as well.

Repairs to the circuit are estimated to cost at least fifteen million dollars. And money is again the reason why we won’t be returning to the continent south of Europe just yet. And the question remains whether the Kyalami track will make it through the new circuits that supply F1 with a lot of money.

“I still hope to race there next year. Never say never,” the 37-year-old Mercedes driver added to his statement. But it is virtually certain that we can never say this. There are so many tracks under contract at the moment that not too many new ones will find their way onto the calendar. And if they do, their origins will be found in countries that can, popularly speaking, “slap themselves in the pocket”.

So it looks like, despite Hamilton’s dissatisfaction with F1 director Stefano Domenicali’s work on negotiations, he won’t be racing in Africa. At least not in 2023. Several circuits are out of contract after the 2024 season. The chances of slipping into the F1 wheel will become more realistic.

Source: Racing News 365