Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton has stated that the sport cannot continue to “ignore” Africa as a destination for racing, Afrosport reports.
F1 last hosted a race in Africa in 1993 in Kyalami, South Africa and came close to a return in 2022 but never materialised.
Rwanda has been a muted destination for an African F1 race with CEO Stefano Domenicali recently holding a meeting with Rwandan representatives at the end of last month over talks to build a permanent race track worth almost $300 million.
Rwanda has been aiming to boost tourism to the country through sport, with its partnership with Premier League club Arsenal running since 2018.
Hamilton has visited Rwanda in the past and has expressed his desire to have a Grand Prix in the East African country.
“We can’t be adding races in other locations and continuing to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world just takes from. No one gives anything to Africa,” Hamilton said per Sky Sports F1.
“There’s a huge amount of work needs to be done there. I think a lot of the world that haven’t been there don’t realise how beautiful the place is, how vast it is. And probably they don’t even know what the countries are doing still to those places in terms of holding back.
“So I think having a grand prix there will really be able to highlight just how great the place is and bring in tourism and all sorts of things.
“Rwanda is one of my favourite places I’ve been to, actually. I’ve been doing a lot of work in the background on it, I’ve spoken to people in Rwanda, I’ve spoken to people in South Africa.
“That’s a longer project, Rwanda. But it’s amazing that they’re so keen to be a part of it.”
Rwanda will have some F1 activity later this year with the capital city of Kigali hosting the FIA General Assembly and also prize giving ceremony in December.
