F1 Signs 10-Year Rwanda Deal as Hamilton Speaks of an African Grand Prix
Formula 1 has signed a 10-year deal to race in Rwanda, with the first event due in the early 2030s. It will be the sport's first race in Africa since 1993, and it has already drawn sharp criticism from campaigners and from the government of a neighbouring country.
Lewis Hamilton, who is 41, is one of the most prominent voices backing the plan. The Guardian reports that he wants to extend his career into the early 2030s so he can race in the African Grand Prix. He has described racing in Africa as his dream.
Hamilton said Africa is, for him, the most important continent, and that it deserves a Grand Prix. He also acknowledged concerns about human rights in Rwanda, asking people to "approach it with humility". Drivers do not pick their destinations, he said: "I don't get to choose where we go." He added that going to Rwanda does not mean neglecting what is happening there.
He was also frank about his own schooling. Growing up in England, he said, nothing was taught about Africa, and it needs to be on the curriculum. He linked many of Africa's problems to colonialism and Western intervention. He urged people to push for change, saying they need to "free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine".
The criticism has been pointed. Amnesty International accused Formula One of offering Rwanda a "sportswashing prize", a term for using a major sporting event to improve a country's reputation, and of hollow words.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has gone further. It has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, accusing Rwanda of breaching treaties covering genocide prevention, racial discrimination, women's rights and torture. Its Foreign Minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, said a race platform would polish the image of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, an authoritarian leader whose government helped fuel war in the DRC.
Wagner said Formula 1 should require guarantees that no money used to host the Rwanda race comes from conflict-linked minerals or the exploitation of Congolese resources. Those demands now sit alongside a deal that, for Hamilton and many fans, marks a long-awaited return of Formula 1 to Africa.
