Seven-time Formula One World Champion wants the sport to return to Africa

Formula One is on fire right now. The sport has seen a massive boom in popularity in the last few years, captivating the eyes of new fans from all corners of the globe. 

Given the growth in popularity, for better or for worse, the race calendar has been expanding with each passing year, helping to broaden and expand the F1 experience of its new fans. A normal race calendar used to consist of between 18 to 20 races, whereas the 2024 calendar has 24 races with future seasons having the potential to get even longer. 

Just in the last few years, we have seen new tracks come to new cities such as Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and Miami, Fla., in 2022 and a return to Las Vegas in 2023. These new tracks are not just expanding the F1 brand, they're breathing a fresh life into the sport, drawing in new fans from all over the world. 

But amid this expansion, there is a rising chorus of voices that are calling for a return to the sports roots, classic tracks that are steeped in F1 heritage. And among these vocal voices is none other than seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton. 

While speaking with Sky Sports during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Hamilton called for F1 to shift its focus toward a return to Africa, feeling that the continent gets ignored when it comes to adding new races to the calendar. 

 
F1 last held a race in Africa in 1993 with the South African Grand Prix at the Kyalami circuit, and Hamilton believes it is time the series returns to the continent. In the last few months, it has been rumored that Rwanda is presenting itself as a strong candidate to host F1's return to the African continent, as confirmed by F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali. 

It remains to be seen if a return to Africa will be added to an already jam-packed race calendar in the future, but given the expansion of F1 and the continued addition of new circuits, a return to Africa would be a great sight to see for longtime F1 fans. It would be even better for the country that is chosen to host the return of the pinnacle of motorsport to the African continent.