Here’s a little bit of silliness from Formula 1, from Lewis Hamilton:
Lewis Hamilton has called for a Formula One race to be held in Africa, claiming that there is “no excuse” for the sport not to return to the continent.
There has not been a Grand Prix in Africa since the 1993 South African GP, with Hamilton insisting that it is time for a comeback.
Asked if it was the right time for the F1 to return to Africa, Hamilton replied: “100 per cent. We can’t be adding races in other locations and continue to ignore Africa, which the rest of the world just takes from.
“No one gives anything to Africa. There’s a huge amount of work that needs to be done there. I think a lot of the world that haven’t been there don’t realise how beautiful the place is, how vast it is.
“I think having a grand prix there, it would really be able to highlight just how great the place is and bring in tourism and all sorts of things. Why are we not on that continent? And the current excuse is that there’s not a track that’s ready, but there is at least one track that’s ready there.
“In the short term, we should just get on that track and have that part of the calendar and then work on building out something moving forward.”
…because “equity”, you see.
Actually, I can see several reasons (not “excuses”) for Africa to be ignored by F1.
The only country capable of staging a Grand Prix is South Africa, with its Kyalami circuit north of Johannesburg. I invite Lewis to visit the place — but without any kind of security (no bodyguards etc.).
If Kyalami were off the table, then Cape Town could probably build a street circuit (it’s been mooted before), as they did with the Formula E race last year.
But Formula E isn’t Formula 1, and it should be noted that Cape Town is Eco-Green Loony Central (which would no doubt please Hamilton). The arrival of all those smelly, Gaia-destroying F1 cars is unlikely to find much support there.
Elsewhere in Africa, forget about it. Unless Liberty Media were to undertake to build a new track in, oh, Kenya — the only African city outside South Africa with a halfway-decent airport — and build in all the infrastructure (electricity, water, roads etc.) to support it, it would never happen.
Even if they did — and they won’t — it would take years before the project would be completed. With current trends, F1 will be racing wind-powered cars before that happens.
Don’t even think about any of the countries north of the Sahara either, because the infrastructure issues would be even worse than in South Africa, with the added flavor of radical Islam to spice things up.
Like all DEI dreams, the idea of a Grand Prix race in Africa sucks, for practical reasons. But of course, when it comes to DEI, that nasty reality has no place — and Lewis Hamilton is no different from any other dreamer.
Speaking of security, weren’t there issues with the Brazilian GP last year?
As for a sensible location within Africa, how about Zanzibar?
But IMHO F1 needs a very different race added – a race on ice.
No one gives anything to Africa? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?
We have, as Western Civilization, giving trillions in aid to that festering shithole over the years. Money, food, supplies, medicine, farm equipment, and often enough blood. Over and over again and it’s still not enough, it will never be enough, and it will never make a difference. I remember as a kid watching those god-awful commercials with Sally Struthers where 18 cents a day would feed a starving black kid. That idiot singing sunday bloody sunday could give all his wealth and it still wouldn’t make a difference. How about we actually follow-thru and completely stop giving anything, see how that goes for a while.
I’ve just read the article in the Times and Hamilton finishes with the inanity that women and children are most affected by Africa’s conflicts, ignoring that men are taken away to fight and die.
“… which the rest of the world just takes from.”
Seriously? It’s not like they aren’t paid for exports. We’ve spent billions. Hell, the chinese are practically rebuilding the place.
What have we gotten back? Monkey pox and AIDS?
Don’t forget “refugees”.
Also “vibrant urban youths”
Nothing at all from stopping him from setting up races and paying for it all so he gets all the money they make
I’d venture that Egypt has the infrastructure as well. Though I doubt Hamilton and his ilk would like the standard of Egyptian hotels.
Of course Egypt lacks a track, so one would have to be built. Which is something that Hamilton has the money to do, so let him take the initiative 🙂
He doesn’t have THAT much money — so in true Green fashion, he’d expect either government or some capitalist to step up to pay for his dreams.
Egypt lacks a track,
They could do a road course on Cairo city streets. F1 cars dodging camels, the occasional herd of sheep, and people shitting in the gutters would make for interesting TV coverage.
(I saw all of the above during visit there in 1972)
I suspect if SA brought Kyalami up to functioning status, the local “teens” would steal all the copper wiring out of the place over night, and when the teams came to their cars on race morning, they’d find all of them up on cinder blocks with no wheels and tires.
Everywhere blacks are in charge, there follows corruption, decay, disease and death.
“I suspect if SA brought Kyalami up to functioning status, the local “teens” would steal all the copper wiring out of the place over night, and when the teams came to their cars on race morning, they’d find all of them up on cinder blocks with no wheels and tires.”
Okay, that’s really funny — and true.
To host a Formula 1 race the organizers have to pay Liberty Media (the owners of F1) about a billion US spread over 5 years. Plus the costs of upgrading the track and maintaining it. Plus the roughly hundred million various expenses to host each race. The organizers get paid for bums on seats and that’s all — I believe that even concession stall holders pay Liberty. In short a Formula 1 race is a vanity show that supposedly brings tourists and additional business but actually loses money faster than Woke Disney.
The only exception is Monaco that averages a hundred million a day in tourist revenue for five days.
Where does the money come from, you the taxpayer of course.
In summary the costs of hosting a race exceed the gross national product of most African countries. Lewis should know this.
Lewis Hamilton is a great driver — Sebi calls him the GOAT — but off the track he tests the limits of assholiness. He earns at least a hundred million a year. Fifty of this is his driver pay from Mercedes. The rest is endorsements, paid engagements and investment returns from his half-billion net worth. Then he tweets about inequality and oppression.
Fine, Lewis, you find the money and give it to some lucky African shithole, remembering that at least half of it will find its way into the pockets of the local politicians. Kim you will know what I’m talking about when I say so vrot soos ‘n swart piesang.
Were it not for the intervention of Whites, Africa would still be a continent of stone age savages chucking spears at each other. Lewis included.
I figger about 20 years after the Chinese give up and leave, the locals will mismanage, not maintain or outright destroy any legacy knowledge and civilizing technology left by whites and the Chinese, and sub Saharan Africa will revert back to what you described.
The first part of the story is relevant to why South Africa would be a bad choice: The Green Economy Is Hungry for Copper—and People Are Stealing, Fighting, and Dying to Feed. Every other place is even worse. Perhaps if a city were built in the middle of the Sahara, with stringent entry controls to keep undesirables out, with a 50-mile death zone buffer around it, it might be okay.
F1 return to Sefrica? Or, any other God Forsaken Place on that continent?
Quick, remember, this deep thought is from the mouth of Lewis Hamilton, who will never be mistaken for any great thinker.