Lewis Hamilton put an end to all the speculation around his switch at the conclusion of last month by extending his contract with Mercedes until 2025. He now has two more years left on his contract as he intends to compete for the coveted eighth world championship. The 38-year-old is currently competing in his 17th Formula 1 season and is excited about going forward. However, talking about his retirement, there is just one thing Hamilton wants to do before thinking about it, as per GQ Sports.
In a recent interview with GQ.com, the F1 star was seen pushing hard to bring back a Grand Prix race in South Africa. However, according to ESPN F1’s sources, the Belgian Grand Prix will continue to be held, instead of the sport exploring options in the African continent. Although F1 has smashed any dreams for a race in Africa next year, Lewis Hamilton, with his never-say-die attitude, hasn’t given up on his desire.
Lewis Hamilton marches forward to get his desires fulfilled
The Mercedes ace has a long history of social activism. Besides focusing on his racing and fitness, Hamilton has stayed committed to bringing about change in society. And this is precisely what transpired when he highlighted the need for a race on the African continent in his GQ interview.
The 38-year-old while explaining initially said, ” I want to race in Africa. We’re on all the other continents. When you bring a Grand Prix to a place, it brings so much attention and travel, great for the economy and educating people. When we travel, we have an opportunity to really tap into the community and leave a long-lasting legacy. It shouldn’t just be to show up, do a show, and leave.”
It will be difficult for Hamilton – or anyone for that matter – to get the race up and running again. However, the seven-time world champion is still putting a lot of pressure on the stakeholders to take F1 back to Africa, and Kyalami in South Africa, in particular.
However, bringing the sport back to South Africa is not as easy as it sounds. To make it clear, Jody Scheckter reveals the true cause of the hold. As quoted by Total-Motorsport.com, the Former F1 driver said that the Kyalami became too greedy,” F1 came over to sign. He had got government backing, some of the wealthiest people in South Africa behind it. Everything was in place, and the guy from Kyalami got greedy.”
In light of Hamilton’s arduous efforts to get a Grand Prix in South Africa before he departs F1, fans must be wondering of the push Sebastian Vettel did.
What happened when Sebastian Vettel pushed F1 to hold a race at the Nurburgring?
Last year, Sebastian Vettel himself advocated hard and attempted to bring a Grand Prix back to his homeland in Nurburgring, Germany. The four-time champion had been fortunate enough to compete in nine German GPs and win one in 2013. However, owing to financial constraints, F1 dropped the German tracks from the calendar after 2019.
Some other circuits who wanted to be a part of F1 were ready to dish out more than $50,000,000, which was a lot of money for Germany to shell out. Because of this, Sebastian Vettel had to bid goodbye to F1 without racing in his country again.
These decisions actually take time owing to several factors. Sometimes the cause is financial, and other times it’s political. Now that Vettel has bid his adieu in sorrow it will be interesting to see if Hamilton will accomplish his ambitions or not.
