Formula One Superstar’s Dream Africa Race Before Retiring, Highlights Kenya
Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time Formula One champion, has declared his desire to see a Formula One race held in Africa before retiring, listing Kenya among the countries he has visited and admired.
Hamilton made the statements during an interview on March 5, where he discussed Africa’s exclusion from the global Formula 1 calendar, despite the sport already racing on numerous other continents.
The Formula One star claimed that he has had the opportunity to visit more than ten African countries during the last six years.
He has also spent several years persuading Formula One decision-makers to explore bringing a Grand Prix back to Africa.
🚨| Sir Lewis Hamilton: "I think (Africa) is 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 from it and no one speaks about it. And I'm really looking forward to and hoping that the people that are running… pic.twitter.com/H5GDWRX4sw
— sim (@simscircuit) March 5, 2026
There have been meetings with various parties in an attempt to persuade Formula One leadership to advance plans for an African race.
“I’ve been to 10 countries now in Africa, there’s still so much more for me to see,” stated Hamilton.
“For the past six years, I think, maybe seven, I’ve been fighting in the background to get a Grand Prix. So, sitting with the stakeholders and asking them the question why are we not in Africa?”
According to Hamilton, the continent’s absence from the racing calendar is perplexing, given its enormous fan base and growing motorsport enthusiasm among millions of African viewers.
According to recent reports, Formula One’s fan base in Africa is rapidly expanding, with Kenya emerging as a significant engine for this growth.
Since 2021, organised watch parties in Nairobi (such as Paddock Experience) have attracted up to 1,400 spectators per race.
Female viewership is increasing across the continent, particularly in Kenya and Ghana, where supporters are actively involved in the sport’s technical components, internet platforms, and social scenes.
Female viewership is surging across the continent, particularly in Kenya and Ghana, where fans are deeply engaging with the sport’s technical aspects, digital platforms, and social scenes.
He noted that although Kenya impressed him during his travels, which he made in August 2022, the country may not yet be ready to host a Formula One race due to infrastructure and logistical demands.
However, he hinted at Rwanda as one of his favourite places to host the sporting event, with it also being a country that he could potentially live in.
“I loved Kenya. I don’t think we’re going to have a Grand Prix in Kenya, but Rwanda particularly was spectacular and somewhere I felt like I could live,” Hamilton said.
The 40-year-old driver added that other African countries, such as South Africa, could also provide viable venues if the necessary investment and preparations are put in place.
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Hamilton has repeatedly pushed for the return of a Formula 1 race to Africa, the only inhabited continent currently without a Grand Prix on the official championship calendar.
The driver, who currently races for Scuderia Ferrari after leaving Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team in 2025, said racing in Africa would be deeply personal.
Hamilton explained that his heritage connects him to several African countries, including Senegal, Benin, Nigeria and Togo, which he has been exploring in recent years.
He also made it clear that hosting a Grand Prix in Africa would celebrate the continent’s beauty, culture and potential while giving local fans a chance to experience Formula 1 firsthand.
Formula One Superstar’s Dream Africa Race Before Retiring, Highlights Kenya
