Lewis Hamilton wants to still be on the Formula 1 grid in the 2030s. The Hamilton Africa GP is the reason. Formula 1 confirmed last week a 10-year deal for Rwanda to host an African Grand Prix, with the first running scheduled for the "early 2030s" and no fixed date attached.
Hamilton turns 42 in January. He would be 45 at the start of the 2030 season. The seven-time world champion accepts there is no guarantee he will still be racing then, but he is holding on to the target of competing at the sport's first African round since 1993.
"I'm now forced to stay a bit longer because we have a race in Africa and that has been my dream to race in Africa," Hamilton said ahead of the United States Grand Prix. "So, I'm going to have to keep fighting to stay fit. If I can keep punching out results over the next years, we will keep it going."
Hamilton Africa GP target and the Ferrari contract
Hamilton is in his second season with Ferrari. He is known to have a contract running to at least the end of 2027, with an option that could keep him with the Italian team in 2028 as well. Anything beyond that is unresolved.
Fernando Alonso shows the timeline is not fantasy. Hamilton's former team-mate is set to start another season with Aston Martin next year at 45. The question is physical rather than romantic: fitness, reaction time, and how long a body keeps absorbing race weekends without losing sharpness.
Rwanda's 10-year deal and the sportswashing row
The Rwanda agreement drew immediate criticism. Amnesty International called it "a sportswashing prize for the Rwandan authorities." Felix Jakens, the organisation's UK head of campaigns, said Rwanda is "buying into the world's biggest sports to polish its image and deflect from its appalling human rights record."
Jakens also pointed to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he said Rwanda is "playing a significant role in fuelling the conflict" through support for the M23 armed group and the actions of its military in eastern Congo. He urged Formula 1 to "use its influence with the Rwandan authorities to push for change."
Rwanda's sponsorship footprint in sport is already wide. "Visit Rwanda" is Aston Villa's front-of-shirt sponsor on a multi-year deal worth £20m a season signed in the summer. Arsenal ended its eight-year partnership at the end of last season after pressure from supporter groups, PSG extended its deal to 2028, and Bayern Munich ended its commercial agreement but kept an academy project.
Hamilton's plea for humility on Africa
Asked about the reaction, Hamilton did not defend the deal directly. He said he does not choose where Formula 1 goes, then argued the sport should approach the new race "with humility" and that education about the continent matters more than the calendar slot.
"Growing up in England, they never taught us anything about Africa. It needs to be on the curriculum. A lot of the problems they have there are still results of colonialism and the West intervening."
He added that going to Africa "doesn't mean that you neglect the things that are happening there," and closed by saying: "I think we need to make sure we're pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine."
What the Austin weekend adds
Hamilton was speaking at Circuit of the Americas, where Ferrari has brought its fourth and final upgrade package of the season. Charles Leclerc was fastest in first practice in the updated car, while Max Verstappen called the "unacceptable" bumpy surface at COTA a safety concern.
For Hamilton, the short-term job is results, the thing he says will keep the longer project alive. The African round has a decade-long contract and no date. His career now has a target he has set himself.
This report is based on the original coverage by skysports.com.
