Support for South Africa with the F1 expansion

Kyalami has been marked as a potential F1 venue

Lewis Hamilton has highlighted South Africa as the ideal country to host a Formula 1 World Championship.

The sport is currently expanding, with new events this year and next.

There has also been talk of Formula 1 returning to Africa for a long time after it last visited the continent in 1993 for the South African Grand Prix.

With the exception of Antarctica, it is the only continent today that does not host a World Cup.

F1 boss Stefano Domenicali has suggested the sport could return there in the future, highlighting Kyalami as its most likely target.

In a speech on CNN in September, the Italian confirmed the interest of Kyalami, who played the sport 20 times from 1967 to 1993.

“Of course we discussed with them to see if they were technically ready to add the financial perspective to the calendar, so discussions are underway,” said Domenicali of a possible return to South Africa.

Hamilton has now added his support for the idea when asked where he would like to see F1 racing in the future.

“The place that I really feel is close to my heart and the most important thing is to race in South Africa,” said the seven-time world champion.

“I think we have a huge following out there and I think it would be great to be able to highlight how beautiful Motherland is.”

His comments came amid suggestions that F1 might add a third race in the United States.

F1 last raced in Texas at the Circuit of The Americas, and next May, Miami will be welcomed for the first time on the calendar.

There is now talk of adding another race with a contingent of Las Vegas officials at COTA.

The United States has traditionally proven difficult for European motorsport, although many see this year’s United States Grand Prix as a turning point.

F1 is now owned by Liberty Media, an American organization, as U.S. interest in the launch pad grows.

Williams is owned by US investment firm Dorilton Capital, while the Drive to Survive series helped Netflix open the US market.

As the sport seems to be gaining its growing popularity in the United States, it comes at a time when Las Vegas visitor numbers are stagnating.

In 2019, the city of Nevada welcomed 42.5 million visitors, a number that has dropped to 19 million last year.

Although that number has risen again this year, it is still well below the most recent period unaffected by COVID.

Therefore, there are motivational factors on both sides to make the event happen, also with the support of the teams and drivers.

“The US Grand Prix is ​​fantastic and it is such a huge country, just having one race here is certainly not enough to really develop the sporting culture here and to really capture the fans and take them on a journey with us.” “Noted Hamilton.

“I think you definitely need at least two, but there are so many great cities to host a Grand Prix.

“Miami is going to be amazing, as is Austin.

“I don’t know where they’ll have the next one, but I’m not against it.

“I think it’s pretty cool to have little mini-championships on these continents, I think it’s not a bad thing for the sport.”

Daniel Ricciardo is also advocating more racing in the US, although he jokingly hinted that a race in Las Vegas could result in a few drivers going AWOL.

“I say the more the better, but we obviously have a pretty busy schedule,” he began.

“Of course, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Miami next year.

“Vegas, I mean, that could be really cool too,” he added.

“We’re not convinced that every driver would show up, so that’s good for reserved drivers!

“Be vigilant for Vegas, you might get your chance!”

Ricciardo made no secret of his love of racing in the United States, adopted a Texan accent in press interviews, and embraced the culture throughout the U.S. Grand Prix weekend.

“I don’t know for whatever reason I love it,” he said.

“I love the atmosphere and it’s just a good laugh. I always have a good time here.

“It’s not just Austin. I’ve done Miami a couple of times and it was fun too, and there are a lot of states and cities that I haven’t visited in the US, so there is sure to be more to explore. “

Hamilton’s Mercedes team-mate Valtteri Bottas is also in favor of more races in the US, but suggested he might have to overcome some personal baggage for the Vegas race.

“I had a big weekend in Vegas once and after that I thought ‘never again’,” he said.

“But maybe I have to eat my words and I would like to return now, it has been many years.

“Honestly, from my side, it would be a good thing to have more races in the US,” he added.

“I can see the pretty big difference over the last few years in how popular Formula 1 has become in the US and a lot more people are recognizing the sport.

“It’s definitely growing and yes, I’ll be happy to go to Miami and even Vegas if that is the case.”

Even Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was on board with an expanded US presence, but also shared Hamilton’s broader view of F1’s expansion.

“I would like to do a third race in the USA,” he said.

“I think Formula 1 has gotten bigger and bigger in recent years thanks to the Netflix season here and I can definitely feel and say it and I also love this, this country.

“I will be very happy to contest a third race here.

“I agree with Lewis about Africa,” he added.

“In general, it will be great to have a race there.”

In 2022, the season with the highest turnover in the more than seven decades of history of the sport, Formula 1 will host 23 races in 36 weeks.

An aerial view of the Kyalami Racetrack

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