Because of an African race: Hamilton (41) feels "forced" to keep racing for longer
The Ferrari star wants to carry on until the planned Grand Prix in Rwanda. For Austin he plays down expectations, saying Red Bull are three or four tenths quicker on the straights.
Archive image · Photo: Eustace Bagge / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 (cropped and resized)
At 41, Lewis Hamilton is not thinking about stopping. "I'm now forced to stay a lot longer because we have a race in Africa," the seven-time world champion said in the press conference ahead of the United States Grand Prix in Austin, referring to the planned Formula 1 race in Rwanda. According to dpa, the circuit south of the capital Kigali is due to join the calendar in the early 2030s. It would be Formula 1's first race in Africa since Kyalami, north of Johannesburg, in 1993. Hamilton turns 45 in January 2030.
According to dpa, the Briton said he would carry on as long as he keeps getting good results in the coming years, adding that he has been advocating a race in Africa "for many, many years". He said it is a continent that deserves a Grand Prix. Human rights groups sharply criticise the situation in Rwanda, dpa reports, including arbitrary detentions. Hamilton said that travelling to Rwanda does not mean ignoring what happens there.
On the sporting side, the championship's third-placed driver (229 points) expects little in Texas. Red Bull are "three or four tenths quicker down the straights", he said, according to the FIA transcript, while Ferrari have "a very, very small upgrade this weekend. It's less than a tenth." Hamilton is, however, looking forward to the race in São Paulo after Mexico: "It couldn't come sooner, that Grand Prix."