Lewis Hamilton vows to put in more work as he prepares to return for the 2026 Formula 1 season.
The F1 star has called for a movement to ‘take Africa back’, claiming the continent is ‘controlled’ by European powers.
On the eve of the new Formula 1 season in Melbourne, the seven-time champion outlined his ambition to participate in a Grand Prix on African soil.
But the 41-year-old, F1’s first driver of color, didn’t stop there. He suggested that former colonial rulers still exercised excessive power in the region and called for action to undo that influence. “I have roots from a few different places, like Togo and Benin,” he said. “I’m really 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 these different countries all unite and come together and take Africa back.
“That’s what I want to see. Take it back from the French, take it back from the Spanish and take it back from the Portuguese and the British. It’s so 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 controlled in this way.”
On the specific issue of an African Grand Prix, he reiterated his long-standing support for the idea. “For the last six years, maybe seven, I’ve been fighting in the background to get a Grand Prix. I sat with stakeholders and asked the question: ‘Why aren’t we in Africa?'” he said.
“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a Grand Prix there, without going racing there, so I’m chasing them. They set certain dates and I think, ‘Damn, I’m running out of time,’ so I’ll stay here for a while until that happens. That would be great, considering I’m half African. There’s one on every other continent; why not in Africa? I know they’re really trying.”
After traveling extensively across the continent, Hamilton put forward his own ideas for potential hosts. “I think they’ve been to a lot of different countries. I loved Kenya – I don’t think we’ll have a Grand Prix in Kenya – but Rwanda in particular was spectacular. South Africa is breathtaking. I think those are good places for us to go.”
