Lewis Hamilton has announced he intends to keep racing in Formula One until the African Grand Prix arrives in Rwanda in the early 2030s, meaning the seven-time world champion will be at least in his mid-40s by the time the lights go out. The 41-year-old, currently contracted with Ferrari until the end of the 2027 season, said he wants at least another four years on the grid to make the trip. F1's current oldest driver, for reference, is 45-year-old Fernando Alonso, who presumably has thoughts about being used as a benchmark for athletic longevity.

"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," Hamilton said ahead of this weekend's US Grand Prix. "So, I have to keep fighting to try and stay fit if I can. If I can still punch out good results over the next year, we'll keep it going." The word "forced" is doing considerable heavy lifting here, given that most people's dreams do not require a physio and a contract extension.

Last week F1 confirmed Rwanda would host the African Grand Prix under a 10-year agreement, with the first race set for the early 2030s on a purpose-built circuit in Bugesera, 25 miles south of the capital, Kigali. The circuit has yet to be constructed, which is a detail that has never stopped F1 from announcing things before. It marks the sport's return to Africa for the first time since Kyalami, South Africa in 1993 - a gap of roughly three decades during which the continent apparently fell off the map.

The deal has drawn criticism over Rwanda's human rights record, with detractors calling it sportswashing. "A 10-year grand prix 'presented by Visit Rwanda' is a sportswashing prize for the Rwandan authorities," said Felix Jakens, Amnesty UK's head of campaigns. "Rwanda is buying into the world's biggest sports to polish its image and deflect from its appalling human rights record. Formula One says sport can be 'a positive force for good'. That rings hollow if F1 shrugs off who it is partnering with. Rwanda's authorities are prolific in arbitrary detention, torture and the repression of free speech."

Hamilton, who has long championed a race in Africa, acknowledged the criticism but argued the event could be a force for good. "I'm really, really hopeful for that grand prix," he said. "Of course, I don't get to choose where we go, and naturally there's problems all over the world today, so I've seen many of the stories but I think we really have to approach it with humility." He added that growing up in England, "they never ever taught us anything about Africa. It needs to be on the curriculum. A lot of the problems they have there are still results of colonialism, and the West intervening."

He also expressed hope for African unity. "I know there's many people that don't want that to happen, because they would be so powerful if they did, but I'm still hopeful that at some stage they will." The new race is backed by the Rwandan government and the Rwanda Development Board, which intend to develop the venue as a destination for motorsport and economic growth. Rwanda has recently invested heavily in hosting sporting events, including cycling's road world championships, cricket's Women's Challenge Trophy, the 2023 Fifa congress and the Basketball Africa League - a portfolio that suggests the country is collecting sporting events like Pokémon.

Hamilton argued the race could spark greater interest and education. "Going doesn't mean that you neglect the things that are happening there," he said. "Hopefully many people start to educate themselves a little bit more of what is happening there, what has happened there for hundreds of years and I hope that does spark the conversation. Then I guess I'll finish it off with, I think we need to make sure we're pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine. I think there's a lot of peace that I'm hoping that at some stage we get to."

Meanwhile, Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli heads into the US Grand Prix in a position to clinch his first F1 title. The 20-year-old holds a 102-point lead over teammate George Russell and will become F1's youngest world champion if he wins, Russell finishes ninth or lower, and Hamilton is fifth or lower - a set of conditions that sounds less like a championship and more like a group project where everyone has to do their part.