‘The one I really, really want’: Lewis Hamilton renews calls for South African Grand Prix

Seven-time champion Hamilton wants to see a race in South Africa

Hamilton wants to see a Formula 1 race in South Africa (Getty Images)

Lewis Hamilton has reiterated his desire to see a South African Grand Prix on the Formula 1 calendar in the future.

It was recently confirmed that a race will be staged in Las Vegas from the beginning of the 2023 campaign.

The decision has received widespread praise from the drivers and teams, but Hamilton was keen to use the announcement to shine a light on areas of the world that are currently not represented by the sport.

Reacting to the addition of a Las Vegas race, the Mercedes driver said: “It’s amazing that we have bridged a relationship that we have now three races on one continent.

“I think that’s going to be awesome, I think it’ll be good for the business, I think Vegas will be an awesome addition.

“But the one I really, really want to see is South Africa. That’s the one I want to hear next that gets announced.”

Meanwhile, Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has defended the start time for the Las Vegas GP. The American race will get underway on Saturday night local time - which translates to around 6am in the UK and 7am in Europe.

He said: “Formula 1 cannot be static. To have a race on Saturday at 3pm, that would be a total mistake. That is the reason why we are flexible, we are showing that’s the right moment to have the best show in this context. I don’t see any problem on that.

“And if you think actually in terms of timing in Europe, Saturday night is perfect because also that audience will be connected [early the following morning].”

Valtteri Bottas added: “Like Lewis said, it’s good to see three races in the US. Obviously the fanbase has been really growing quite a bit, and there’s more and more support from US fans.

“So I’m sure it’s going to be amazing weekend. But the next one for me I want to see is Finland.”