Lewis Hamilton ‘pushing’ F1 chiefs as Mercedes star desperate for new Grand Prix
Max Verstappen wins third consecutive Formula One world championship
Lewis Hamilton is continuing to push for Formula One chiefs to introduce a race weekend in Africa. The Mercedes star was full of praise for the Las Vegas Grand Prix last weekend, and the Brit is hopeful of another major addition being made to the racing calendar in the near future.
Formula One returned to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982 with the aim of drawing in new fans off the back of Netflix’s uber-successful Drive To Survive series. The event had some hiccups but the race itself was a success, Red Bull star Max Verstappen reigning victorious in an enthralling Grand Prix packed with dramatic moments and tight overtakes.
The Las Vegas race marks the third weekend in the United States in 2023, following Miami and Austin, and there has been talk of even more races being added in America, perhaps in New York. Hamilton is among those to share the view that the USA now has enough Grands Prix, though he still has his heart set on one more race being introduced.
Asked whether there are now enough races in America, Hamilton told Sky Sports: “I think so, but it’s not my job to decide how many races there are [in America]. But we definitely don’t need anymore! We definitely don’t need any more races.
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“There’s one more race we need and that’s going to be Africa. We have all the other continents and why not there? So that’s the one I’m working on pushing right now.”
Hamilton’s desire for a race in Africa is no secret and the 38-year-old is continuing to stress how he believes introducing a weekend in the continent would be the ideal addition to Formula One as a whole. A South African Grand Prix at Kyalami is a possibility though not for 2024.
Hamilton could still get his wish beyond that though. It is thought a 2025 race remains a possibility. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said last year: “There are areas of the world that wants to have Formula One, and I think that one area that we want to develop is the African area.
“We are a world championship, and that’s an area where we are not there.”
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Meanwhile, reviewing his race in Nevada, Hamilton said: “I’m really, really happy to have had a positive race and I’m really grateful the race was so good. I don’t know how it was as a spectacle for people to watch, but there was so much overtaking.
“It was like Baku – but better. I really wasn’t expecting the track to be so great but the more and more laps you did I just really loved racing it.
“Lots of great overtaking opportunities and I think for all those who were so negative about the weekend, saying it was all about show blah blah blah, I think Vegas proved them wrong.”
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