“Very Few of Us Can Afford to Watch F1”: Lewis Hamilton Awakened by Fans as Hope for His Big Dream Crushed by Bitter Reality

F1 is currently creating buzz around the world and is more popular now than ever. That even shows in how much the sport is expanding and including venues from countries that were traditionally not a part of the calendar. Keeping that in mind, Lewis Hamilton recently made a suggestion to include a forgotten circuit that once was among the crown jewels of F1. However, given the economic crisis the country is going through, even fans urged him not to push for it.

After sadly missing out on the coveted 8th world championship title on that fateful night in Abu Dhabi in 2021, Hamilton took a long vacation in Africa. He spoke about how fascinating it was for him to connect with his roots and recalled how great the experience was.

Fans speak against Lewis Hamilton pushing for F1’s expansion in South Africa

Hamilton recently appeared for an interview with ESPN ahead of the Miami GP weekend. During the interview, he spoke about F1’s huge fandom in South Africa, the land of the legendary Kyalami circuit. He also talked about how popular he is among the masses there and urged F1 to once again include the circuit in its calendar.

The country is, however, going through a deep economic crisis currently with power shortage being one of the biggest concerns. Moreover, F1 has often come under fire for pricing the tickets in a way that is only feasible for a few to watch the race in person. Given the state of the economy there, many felt the Grand Prix will turn out to be a failed project.

Take a look at some reactions from Twitter.

Read More: Before Becoming Lewis Hamilton’s Trusted Wingman, Valtteri Bottas Had a Tempting F1 Offer From Mercedes’ Rivals

Another fan listed the problems the country and its citizens are going through.

More fans spoke against the proposal, but some had a sense of humor about it.

More fans spoke about the electricity shortage South Africa is going through lately.

One fan spoke about how it is not just on F1 to resume the South African GP. Building the surrounding infrastructure will require the government’s intervention.

One fan posted a video of a rugby match getting interrupted because of power cuts.

Watch This Story: Will F1 Bring Back the South African GP at Kyalami to the Calendar?

Do you think Hamilton’s dream of racing in Africa will become a reality? Should F1 look beyond South Africa to include the continent’s representation on the calendar?