Lewis Hamilton has been trying for a long time to have a South African Grand Prix on the F1 calendar. Now, as the sport looks to expand its global reach, the seven-time world champion has revealed he will not retire until South Africa features on the championship schedule.
Talking to the fans at an event before the Abu Dhabi GP, Hamilton said, “I’ve been working in the background to get South Africa, that race. It’s such a dream for me and I’m going to stay till they get that race.”
Lewis Hamilton wants the African continent to feature on the F1 calendar for many reasons. His push for equality and diversity is the main reason why he wants the sport to travel to South Africa. However, he also wants the sport’s reach to expand beyond just Europe.
If the race does go through, F1 will be returning to familiar grounds. The sport is expected to make a comeback to the revered Kyalami circuit. For 2024, that was not possible due to certain contractual niggles which are expected to be sorted out further down the line.
Kyalami: F1’s forgotten gem
The South African GP was run at the Kyalami Circuit in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. The track is infamous for the 1977 GP where Tom Pryce lost his life in a horrific accident with a marshal coming out on track while the Grand Prix was still running.
The track itself has a pretty balanced set of characteristics with 16 corners in total. It has a short back straight and a fine collection of sweeping corners along with tight and slow corners. With modern-day F1 cars running at full hilt, the track could throw up a pretty special race for the fans.
Currently, the Formula 1 calendar has 24 races scheduled for 2024. However, the South African GP will not be able to be the 25th race. That is because, under the current Concorde Agreement signed, a maximum of only 24 races can be run in a single championship season. However, there are a few tracks that have been tipped to be removed from the calendar altogether.
