Formula One racing legend Sir Lewis Hamilton has called on Africans to “take Africa back,” arguing that the continent remains under the control of European powers during a speech at the Australian Grand Prix on Thursday.

The 41-year-old Brit is a unique voice in this space as he is widely recognised as the first ever black F1 driver, having made his debut with McLaren in 2007. Speaking to Melbourne reporters ahead of the upcoming Formula One season, the seven-time world champion discussed his own African roots, stating:

“I’ve got roots from a few different places there, like Togo and Benin. I’m really proud of that part of the world."

“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. I’m really hoping that the people that are running those different countries all unite and come together and take Africa back.

“That’s what I want to see. Take it back from the French, take it back from the Spanish, take it back from the Portuguese and the British. 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.”

The Stevenage-born trailblazer has been at the forefront of breaking major racial barriers in motorsport and even today remains the only black driver to have raced in Formula One so far. Before Hamilton, the closest a black racer had come to the tracks was when American driver Willy T. Ribbs tested an F1 car in 1986.

Many factors have hindered black access to and success in motorsport. One key factor is that motorsport is one of the most expensive sports to enter, with a competitive junior karting season costing over £100,000. Because of these costs, drivers often need wealthy families or major sponsors early on, which historically limited access for many groups, including black racers.

Hamilton, who is of mixed-race ancestry including Afro-Grenadian parentage, is no stranger to activism and in 2018 was named PETA’s Person of the Year. He also expressed his goal of racing in a grand prix on African soil before his career comes to an end.

The last time Africa hosted a Formula One race was in 1993 at the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit during the South African Grand Prix. Africa is currently the only inhabited continent without a race on the modern Formula One calendar. Hamilton spoke at length about his dreams of bringing a Grand Prix to Africa.

“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 said.

“I don’t want to leave the sport without having a grand prix there, without getting to race there, so I’m chasing them. 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. There’s one on every other continent, why not Africa? I know they’re really trying.”

Having openly discussed his travels to the continent, including to Benin, Senegal and Mozambique, Hamilton also put forward his own ideas for potential host countries:

“I think they’ve been to quite a few different countries. I loved Kenya – I don’t think we’re going to have a grand prix in Kenya – but Rwanda particularly was spectacular. South Africa is stunning. Those are the ones I think would be good places for us to potentially go to.”