Lewis Hamilton is a seven-time world champion who has competed against drivers from around the globe. One of the biggest elephants in any room he steps into, however, remains an overall lack of Black representation in the sport he dominates. Now, Hamilton has plans to change this.
Suggested Reading
As the first and only Black driver in Formula One history, he’s empowering the people of the continent to “take Africa back” from Europe. While speaking to reporters in Australia, Hamilton explained that the colonial powers still have control over the continent, ESPN reported.
“Take it back from the French, take it back from the Spanish, take it back from the Portuguese and the British,” Hamilton said. “It’s so important for the future of that continent. They have all the resources to be the greatest and most powerful place in the world, and that’s probably why they are being controlled the way they are.”
Even in his professional sport, the F1 driver said the racial disparities are extremely evident. “For the past six years, maybe seven, I’ve been fighting in the background to get a Grand Prix… sitting with stakeholders and asking the question, ‘Why are we not in Africa?’” he continued.
There are 20 individual Grand Prix competitions held worldwide each season. Those winners then get to show off their skills in the Premier Global Championship series known as “F1.” Similar to the Olympic Games, F1 is supposed to showcase the best of the best from around the world, but with no Grand Prix races in Africa since the 1990s, few Black drivers have the opportunity to compete.
“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a Grand Prix there, without getting to race there, so I’m chasing them,” Hamilton declared. “They’re setting certain dates; I’m like, ‘Damn, I could be running out of time,’ so I’m going to be here for a while until that happens. That would be amazing, given that I’m half African.”
The 41-year-old champion was born to an Afro-Grenadian father and a white-British mother. He said his ancestry traces back to African nations like Togo and Benin, even adding he’s “proud of that part of the world.”
Thinking about the countries he’d like to see host, Hamilton told reporters he has his eyes on South Africa and Rwanda as potential options. He continued, “I think it is the most beautiful part of the world, and I don’t like that the rest of the world owns so much of it and takes so much from it and no one speaks about it.”
Straight From 
Sign up for our free daily newsletter.