Lewis Hamilton has called for a move to “take back Africa”, claiming the continent is being “controlled” by European powers. On the eve of the new Formula One season in Melbourne, the seven-time champion outlined his ambition to compete in a grand prix on African soil.
But the 41-year-old, the first black F1 driver, didn’t stop there. He suggested that former colonial rulers still wielded undue power in the region and called for measures to reverse that influence. “I have roots in different places there, like Togo and Benin,” he said. “I’m very proud of that part of the world.
“It’s 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 of it and no one talks about it. I really hope that the people who run those different countries come together and take back Africa.
“That’s what I want to see. Take it from the French, take it from the Spanish, take it from the Portuguese and the British. It’s very important for the future of that continent. They have all the resources to be the biggest and most powerful place in the world and that’s probably why they’re being controlled the way they are.”
On the specific issue of the African Grand Prix, he reiterated his long-standing support for the idea. “For the last six years, maybe seven, I’ve been fighting behind the scenes to get a big prize… sitting down with stakeholders and asking, ‘Why aren’t we in Africa?’” he said.
“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without being able to race there, so I’m chasing them. They’re setting certain dates, and I’m thinking, ‘Damn, I might run out of time,’ so I’ll be here for a while until that happens. That would be amazing, given that I’m half African. There’s one on every other continent, so why not Africa? I know they’re really trying.”
Having traveled extensively across the continent, Hamilton put forward his own ideas for potential hosts. “I think they’ve been to quite a few different countries. I loved Kenya; I don’t think we’re going to have a grand prix in Kenya, but Rwanda in particular was spectacular. South Africa is awesome. Those are the places I think would be good places for us to go.”
