Lewis Hamilton has vowed to carry on racing in Formula One until at least 2031 to complete a long-desired ambition to compete in Africa.
He is 41 now and will be 46 then, if the earliest date for the first grand prix planned for Rwanda is delivered upon – though it may be a year later depending on how the development of a proposed circuit being built in Bugesera, 25 miles south of the capital Kigali, progresses.
The exact year the much-vaunted race will start is yet to be decided, set to be 2031, yet conceivably a year later.
The deal with Africa was announced last week and answered Hamilton’s desire for a new race to be staged on the continent from which his paternal family descend, after the last event there took place in Kyalami, South Africa, in 1993.
Ahead of the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, this weekend, Hamilton said: ‘I’m now forced to stay a bit longer because we have a race in Africa and that has been my dream to race in Africa. So, I’m going to have to keep fighting to stay fit. If I can keep punching out results over the next years, we will keep it going.’
Rwanda is a controversial presence in British sport over its human rights record and alleged ‘sportswashing’ with the ‘Visit Rwanda’ brand drawing criticism as a sponsor of eight years, before ending in June. ‘Visit Rwanda’ are now Aston Villa’s main shirt sponsor.
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