“We need to have a Grand Prix there”– Lewis Hamilton hopeful to have $30 Million F1 race in 2023 despite collapse in talks

Lewis Hamilton lobbies for the South African Grand Prix to be included in the 2023 calendar despite negotiations allegedly collapsed.

Ahead of the 2023 season, there were talks of the South African Grand Prix being included in the calendar. Lewis Hamilton, who thinks a race in Africa should be done, lobbied for a Grand Prix in Kyalami.

However, a week ago, the talks between F1 and South African officials collapsed. Yet, Hamilton is hopeful that a solution will be found to conduct a race next year.

The talks between the two parties ended after the Belgian Grand Prix was confirmed for 2023. Yet, the seven-time-world champion expects F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali to find a solution.

“I’ve been pushing a lot in the background to get the Grand Prix there,” the seven-time World Champion told media, including RacingNews365.com, at Spa.

“I’m happy with the talks that have been [happening], and Stefano [Domenicali] has been doing an amazing job trying to get it to happen. “I’m still hopeful that there might be a race next year. You can never say never.”

“As long as we get to get it on the calendar, [I’m happy]. We need to have a Grand Prix there,” he added.

Also read: Lando Norris hits out at Daniel Ricciardo amidst his $16.7 Million contract termination

Lewis Hamilton disappointed with W13 performance in Belgium

Before the summer break, Mercedes was getting better with their performances with regular appearances at the podium. However, in Belgium, the Silver Arrows struggled.

Both George Russell and Lewis Hamilton struggled to be in the top five of the qualifying. Though, they gained multiple promotions because of numerous grid penalties.

However, it seemed like Mercedes wouldn’t be able to gain a considerable number of points. Their race week was further ruined when Hamilton retired in the very first lap of the race after crashing with Fernando Alonso.

Throughout the week, Hamilton was also dejected with the quality of W13. Reportedly, the Briton spent the entire night before the race to find the right fixes in the car, but nothing worked this last Sunday.

Also read: 19-year-old Alpine academy driver believes working with Daniel Ricciardo will be a great opportunity if he joins the team