Lewis Hamilton has called for African nations to reclaim control of their land and natural resources from Western countries including Britain, France, Spain and Portugal, while also vowing to remain in Formula 1 until a grand prix is held on the African continent.
Speaking ahead of this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, the seven-time world champion said he had been “fighting in the background” for six or seven years to bring a race to Africa. “I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without getting to race there,” he said. “I’m chasing them — when is it going to be?”
Hamilton, whose father has Afro-Caribbean heritage, described himself as “half-African” and said he felt a personal urgency about the matter as potential race dates are discussed. “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, because that would be amazing,” he said.
Despite his commitment to the cause, an African grand prix does not appear imminent. Rwanda had emerged as a potential host nation but those prospects have since faded. Negotiations to return to South Africa also broke down, with talks over both the Kyalami circuit near Johannesburg and a potential Cape Town venue ultimately collapsing. Kyalami last appeared on the F1 calendar in 1992-93. Hamilton acknowledged that F1’s bosses were “really trying” to make an African race happen, but conceded no event was on the immediate horizon.
Separately, Hamilton used the occasion to speak about what he described as the ongoing exploitation of Africa by wealthier nations. “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 and no-one speaks about it,” he said. He called on African leaders to unite and reclaim their nations’ resources. “Take it back from the French. Take it back from the Spanish. Take it back from the Portuguese and the British,” Hamilton urged, arguing that Africa’s natural wealth was precisely why external control of the continent had persisted.
Hamilton also reflected on his personal state of mind heading into the new season with Ferrari, describing a significant shift in outlook following a difficult debut year with the Italian team in 2025 — a period during which he made self-critical public remarks, describing himself as “useless” and admitting he was “not looking forward” to racing. “I kind of lost sight for a second of who I was. And that person’s gone. You won’t see that person again,” he said.
The 40-year-old credited an intensive winter training programme, including sessions on Christmas Day, with helping him develop a more positive approach. After a year adapting to Ferrari’s working culture, Hamilton said he felt considerably more settled within the team as the new campaign gets underway in Melbourne this weekend.
