Lewis Hamilton's wish is coming true!
Formula 1 announced on Tuesday, Oct. 13 that it is returning to Africa for the first time in more than 30 years. The motorsport series will host the African Grand Prix in Rwanda starting in the "early 2030s." The East African country will build a track in Bugesera, which is south of the country's capital, Kigali, that will serve as an event space throughout the year. The deal for the race is for 10 years.
In a statement, F1 said that there are more than 100 million fans in Africa with 60 percent of Sub-Saharan followers under the age of 35. There will now be a race on every continent except Antarctica.
“Today is a landmark moment for Formula 1,” F1 president Stefano Domenicali said. “With Rwanda joining the calendar from the next decade, our sport will race in every inhabited continent, bringing the World Championship closer than ever to fans around the globe.
“Africa has always been part of Formula 1’s future, and from the beginning we were determined to return in the right way, with the right partner, a long-term commitment and a clear vision for creating meaningful impact."
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem added that the event will be more than a race, but part of the organization's efforts to embrace diversity and equip the future generation.
“This agreement is also about creating a lasting legacy, inspiring new generations, developing talent and opening new opportunities for motorsport across Africa and beyond," he said. "Increasing accessibility is at the heart of the FIA’s mission, and we have a responsibility to ensure that our sport continues to grow at every level, reaching new communities and creating opportunities for people in every corner of the world."
In 2024, Rwanda hosted the FIA Awards Ceremony where Max Verstappen was awarded his fourth Drivers Championship and McLaren was honored with the Constructors Championship.
The country continues to recover from the 1994 genocide of the Tutsi people and, according to Amnesty International, has limited freedoms of personal expression and workers protections. President Paul Kagame came to office in 2000.
When did Formula 1 last race in Africa?
F1 last raced in Africa in 1993 with the South African Grand Prix. Alain Prost won the competition from pole position with Williams. He won his fourth championship that season. The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit hosted races between 1967 and 1993.
The motorsport series was close to inking a deal to return to South Africa as part of the 2024 calendar, but it fell through. Other African countries that were reportedly being considered to host an F1 race were Nigeria and Morocco.
In 2023, USA TODAY Sports spoke with Willy T. Ribbs, a F1 ambassador and the first Black driver to race in the Indy 500 and test a Formula 1 car. F1 had just added the Las Vegas Grand Prix, the third race in the United States, and the next logical place for F1 to expand to was Africa. Ribbs suggested Nigeria would have the economic strength to host a race and said he saw F1 coming to Africa "within the next 10 years for sure."
"It's such a big continent. It is so big and the wealth there is getting bigger and bigger," he said.
"I think that that is part of inclusion. When you think of the word 'inclusion,' 'diversity,' 'inclusion,' that has got to be on there. That's got to be one of the shows for Formula 1."
What has Lewis Hamilton said about bringing F1 back to Africa?
Lewis Hamilton has been vocal about Formula 1 returning to Africa for several years now. He is the first Black driver to race in the motorsport series and traveled through the continent in 2023 and 2024. His father is of Grenadian heritage and he has said his roots trace back to Benin, Senegal and Nigeria.
In 2021, he specifically mentioned South Africa as a possible race site. Ahead of that year's United States Grand Prix in Austin, he said the country is "dear to my heart."
“I think there’s a great following out there," he said. "I think it would be great to be able to highlight just how beautiful the motherland is."
Before the start of this year's season in March, Hamilton reiterated his desire to race on the continent before he retires.
"I don't want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without getting to race there," Hamilton said, per BBC. "I'm chasing them. When is it going to be?"
On Thursday, Oct. 8, during media day for the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton was asked about the growing speculation that Rwanda would be awarded a race.
"I've always said that we need to have a grand prix in Africa. It is, for me, the most important continent and the most beautiful continent," he said, according to ESPN. "We're on all the other continents but that one, and there should be no reason for it.
"It's something I've been pushing for in the background and Stefano's been amazing. He's flown to Africa so many times over the last couple of years speaking to lots of different people and so I hope he has some news for me soon."
The news of the African Grand Prix joining the calendar came five days later.
Will Lewis Hamilton race in the F1 African Grand Prix in Rwanda?
Lewis Hamilton will be 45 years old in 2030, which is on the older side for a Formula 1 driver, but by no means would age him out of the competition. The Ferrari driver has said that it is on his bucket list to race in Africa before he retires.
The seven-time champion had yet to comment on the announcement that F1 is returning to the continent at the time of publication. He is currently sitting in third-place in the drivers championship standings and is a long-shot to win the championship.
Current Aston Martin driver and two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso is 45 years old. He is under contract to race next season with no word on retirement.
Louis Chiron is the oldest driver to race in Formula 1 history. He was 55 years old when he competed back in 1955.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lewis Hamilton's dream comes to fruition: F1 returning to Africa