Hamilton eyes Rwanda African GP as Ferrari future blocks academy hopes

Hamilton targets Rwanda return as Ferrari blockers loom

Lewis Hamilton repeated in Austin last weekend that, ideally, he would like to still be racing when Formula 1 returns to Africa.

"I'm now forced to have to stay a lot longer because we have a race in Africa and that's been my dream, to be able to race in Africa," he said. "So, yes, I have to keep fighting to try and stay fit. If I can still punch out good results over the next year, we'll keep it going."

Whether he can manage to stay that long is another question. Formula 1 has said the African Grand Prix in Rwanda will be held in the "early 2030s". The aim is for that to be in 2030 but it's not clear whether the new track will be ready by then. Even if they make that deadline, Hamilton will be 45 at the start of 2030 — the same age as Fernando Alonso is now, and he is still going strong.

Hamilton's answer alludes to his current contract, which is believed to last until the end of 2027. So he would need to do another deal of three years to make it to 2030. As he says, if he is still performing at the level he is now by the middle of next year, why not — but as yet it's not clear what Ferrari will think about that.

Hamilton's presence, and the long-term contract held by team-mate Charles Leclerc, raises questions about Ferrari's driver academy. First and foremost, those questions surround Oliver Bearman, who is yet to finalise his new contract with Haas for next season. Bearman has had a strong season and a new deal is believed to be pretty much a formality — but the Briton was talking in a BBC 5 live interview at the weekend very much as if he would still be a Haas driver next year.

Bearman has higher ambitions than staying at Haas for the rest of his career. If Hamilton and Leclerc are going to be at Ferrari for the next four years, Bearman would have every right to ask the team what that means for him. These questions become even more pressing now Brazilian Rafael Camara — also a Ferrari young driver — is joining Haas for 2027. Bearman needs to beat the Brazilian if he is not to face an existential threat to his future as a potential driver for a top team.