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Lewis Hamilton's dream of racing in Africa could soon come to fruition as Rwanda Automobil Club plans to host an F1 race on the continent. The club is in talks with Liberty Media and the sports seniors to make the Grand Prix a reality.
The seven-time world champion has on several occasions expressed his hopes of racing in Africa once before he hangs up his helmet. Recent reports have emerged saying an African country could host an F1 race for the first time since 1993.
According to motorsportmagazine, Rwanda Automobil Club's president Christian Gakwaya said that Rwanda was in the process of bidding for an F1 race and it was time for Africa to play host again:
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“It’s time for Africa to be part of the F1 calendar. Rwanda as a country, we are committed and prepared to host a Formula 1 race. We are working within the formal F1 framework and we are serious about our bid.” Gakwaya said.
Speaking to Autosport, F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali revealed that Rwanda Automobil Club will soon meet with him and other officials to discuss plans. Domenicali also spoke about a key detail regarding the track:
“They are serious. They have presented a good plan and actually we have a meeting with them at the end of September. It will be on a permanent track.”
Officials in Rwanda attended the Monaco GP this year where they held a meeting with the FIA to discuss the rules and regulations of hosting an F1 race.
The last F1 race in Africa was the South African GP in 1993. At the time, Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were among the top drivers on the grid. It was the first race of the season as also Prost's first race with Williams. The Frenchman took pole position ahead of Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, and Damon Hill.
During the race, the lead was fought over between Senna, Prost, and Hill. Eventually, Prost won his first race with Williams in the South African GP.
Lewis Hamilton on his dream to race in South Africa
Back in 2023, Lewis Hamilton talked about pushing F1 to host a race in Africa. The seven-time world expressed how big a dream it was for him to race on the continent.
Speaking to ESPN, Hamilton said he had a massive following in Africa and that people there were fans of the sport too. Hence, he was pushing hard for a Grand Prix in Africa to become a reality:
"Yeah I've been chatting about having a race in Miami and the next one I've been talking about is South Africa and that's what I'm pushing for in the background so hopefully you'll see that come to light soon as well," Hamilton said.
"It's a real big dream for me to race in South Africa, and race in Africa in my career is a huge, huge dream for me. I know I have a big following out there and I know a lot of people are into Formula One now there so I'm pushing as hard as I can in the background and I'm going high up to make sure we have that race happen," he added.
Hamilton is currently P6 in the 2024 F1 drivers' championship with 150 points, with the sport on a break till the weekend of August 25, when it resumes with the Dutch Grand Prix.
