Lewis Hamilton Is Staying in F1 to Race in Africa
Formula 1 has confirmed a 10-year deal to hold the African Grand Prix in Rwanda, starting in the early 2030s. Lewis Hamilton, 41, says the race means he will be staying in the sport a lot longer.
What the deal includes
F1 last raced in Africa in 1993, when Alain Prost won at Kyalami in South Africa. The new circuit will be built in Bugesera, about 40 kilometres south of Kigali and next to the new Kigali International Airport. It is being designed to FIA Grade 1 standards. The designers plan to use the elevation changes of the landscape, and the final layout is still being worked out.
F1 has not set a race date. The start depends on the circuit being finished. Domenicali said the deal means F1 will race on every inhabited continent. Rwanda’s president, Paul Kagame, said, “Today belongs to Africa.”
How Hamilton pushed for it
Earlier this year, Hamilton said he had spent six or seven years sitting with stakeholders and asking why F1 was not in Africa. This week he described countless meetings with F1 chief executive Stefano Domenicali in London and at race weekends, plus calls with presidents of several African countries. He also said Domenicali has flown to Africa many times over the last couple of years.
How long he plans to race
Hamilton turns 45 on January 7, 2030. If the race joins the calendar in the early 2030s, he would be in his mid-forties on the grid. Earlier in his career he said he would not still be racing in his forties.
Speaking in Austin on Thursday, he welcomed F1’s decision. He said, “I’m now forced to stay a lot longer,” and called racing in Africa his dream. He did not name an end date, though he has said he hopes to keep racing into his mid-forties. Fernando Alonso is 45 and has a new contract that runs past his 46th birthday.
What he says it means
Hamilton said the continent deserves a grand prix. He talked about its rich cultures and about how a race puts a country on screen, so that kids see it and talk about it at school. He has African heritage, with family roots in Benin, Togo, Senegal and Nigeria. F1 counts more than 100 million fans across Africa, and almost 60% of fans in key Sub-Saharan markets are under 35.
Why Rwanda
The race is named the Formula 1 African Grand Prix, presented by Visit Rwanda. The circuit is part of a wider sports, tourism, infrastructure and commercial development project led by the Rwanda Development Board. Once built, the venue is meant to host international motorsport and major events year-round. Rwanda has already welcomed the 2024 FIA Awards ceremony and the UCI Road World Championships.
Concerns over Rwanda
The choice of Rwanda has drawn criticism, including from the foreign minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hamilton said he knows about the concerns and does not get to choose where F1 goes. He said the sport should approach the trip “with humility,” and he hopes people learn more about the region’s history. He remains hopeful about the race itself.
F1 says details on the race date and circuit milestones will be announced in due course.
