Hamilton calls for Palestine and DR Congo freedom as Rwanda takes F1 spotlight

Rwanda’s controversial Formula One GP leads Lewis Hamilton to call for freedom for DR Congo, while renewing Palestine plea.

Ferrari's British driver Lewis Hamilton speaks during a news conference before the United States Formula One Grand Prix [AFP]

Seven-time Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has renewed his call for freedom for Palestine when pressed on the controversial decision to award a Grand Prix to Rwanda.

The 41-year-old is the only Black competitor in the motorsport and said an African race would make people more aware of the continent, but recognised there were concerns and used the issue to expand on his stance on humanitarian issues across the world.

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Human rights campaigners Amnesty International recently accused Formula One of hollow words and offering Rwanda a “sportswashing prize” – an accusation levelled at countries perceived to be using sport to improve a tarnished image abroad.

Hamilton, who was speaking before Sunday’s US Grand Prix, has long called for a Gaza ceasefire amid Israel’s genocidal war and returned to the matter – as well as other conflicts – when asked about a Grand Prix in Rwanda.

“I think we need to make sure we’re pushing to free Congo, free Sudan, free Syria, free Palestine,” Hamilton said.

“There’s a lot of peace that I’m hoping we get to at some stage.”

Rwanda in the spotlight after Formula One GP award

Rwanda President Paul Kagame has been accused of repressive methods to keep his grip on power, with opponents dying in prisons, independent media muzzled, and other abuses.

Neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) joined the criticism of Formula One’s decision to award a race to Rwanda, which is accused by the DRC, the United States and United Nations experts of backing the M23 rebels fighting in the DRC.

“Of course, I don’t get to choose where we go,” Hamilton continued.

“Naturally, there are 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.

“Of course, going there doesn’t mean that you neglect the things that are happening there.

“So hopefully many people start to educate themselves a little bit more about what is happening there and what has happened there for hundreds of years. I hope that does spark the conversation.

“Growing up in England, they never 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.”

Formula One’s return to Africa has been Hamilton’s dream

Hamilton said a race in Africa was a dream that could keep him going longer in the sport now that Formula One has done a deal with Rwanda for a Grand Prix in the early 2030s .

The Ferrari driver will be 42 in January and has a contract for 2027. Fernando Alonso, the oldest active F1 driver, is 45 and recently signed up for another season with Aston Martin.

“I’m now forced 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 on Thursday in a news conference alongside championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

“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.”

Antonelli, who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes last season and is still only 20 years old, encouraged him: “You got to do at least the first one.”

Hamilton, the sport’s first and only Black champion, has long campaigned for a race in Africa – a continent that last hosted a race at South Africa’s Kyalami circuit in 1993 – and spoke of his efforts.

“Countless meetings with the stakeholders, so many meetings with (F1 CEO) Stefano (Domenicali) at his office in London, but also on race weekends, countless calls: ‘What’s happening? Where are we going? Who are you meeting with?’

“Many meetings with different presidents from different countries. Lots of phone calls with different presidents from different countries within Africa,” he recalled.

“I think for me, it’s a place that deserves to have a Grand Prix. It’s about more than just one country. It’s about the continent itself.”

卢旺达一级方程式大奖赛引发争议，促使刘易斯·汉密尔顿呼吁刚果民主共和国获得自由，同时再次呼吁巴勒斯坦获得自由。

法拉利车队的英国车手刘易斯·汉密尔顿在美国一级方程式大奖赛前的新闻发布会上发表讲话 [法新社]

七届一级方程式世界冠军刘易斯·汉密尔顿在被问及将大奖赛举办权授予卢旺达这一备受争议的决定时，再次呼吁巴勒斯坦获得自由。

这位 41 岁的车手是赛车运动中唯一的黑人参赛者，他表示，举办非洲赛事将使人们更加了解非洲大陆，但他同时也承认存在一些担忧，并借此机会阐述了他对世界各地人道主义问题的立场。

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人权活动家国际特赦组织最近指责一级方程式赛车空洞无物，并向卢旺达颁发“体育洗白奖”——这一指责通常针对那些被认为利用体育来改善其在海外受损形象的国家。

汉密尔顿在周日美国大奖赛前发表讲话时，长期以来一直呼吁在以色列对加沙发动种族灭绝战争期间实现停火。当被问及在卢旺达举办大奖赛的可能性时，他再次谈到了这个问题以及其他冲突。

“我认为我们需要确保我们努力争取刚果、苏丹、叙利亚和巴勒斯坦的自由，”汉密尔顿说。

“我希望我们能在某个阶段实现真正的和平。”

卢旺达因一级方程式大奖赛获奖而成为焦点

卢旺达总统保罗·卡加梅被指控使用镇压手段来巩固权力，反对派人士死于狱中，独立媒体遭到噤声，以及其他种种侵犯人权的行为。

邻国刚果民主共和国（简称刚果（金））也加入了对一级方程式赛车将比赛举办权授予卢旺达的批评行列。刚果（金）、美国和联合国专家指责卢旺达支持在刚果（金）作战的M23叛军。

“当然，我不能选择我们去哪里，”汉密尔顿继续说道。

“当然，当今世界到处都存在问题，所以我看到了很多相关的报道。但我认为我们真的应该以谦逊的态度来面对这些问题。”

“当然，去那里并不意味着你会忽视那里正在发生的事情。”

“所以，我希望更多的人能够开始更多地了解那里正在发生的事情，以及几百年来那里发生的事情。我希望这能够引发讨论。”

“我在英国长大，他们从来没有教过我们任何关于非洲的知识。这应该纳入课程。”

“他们那里存在的很多问题仍然是殖民主义和西方干预的后果。”

一级方程式重返非洲一直是汉密尔顿的梦想。

汉密尔顿表示，在非洲参加比赛是他的梦想，而一级方程式赛车已经与卢旺达达成协议，将在 2030 年代初举办大奖赛，这或许能让他继续在这项运动中驰骋更久。

这位法拉利车手将于明年一月年满42岁，他的合同到2027年到期。现役F1车手中年龄最大的费尔南多·阿隆索今年45岁，他最近与阿斯顿·马丁续约了一个赛季。

“我现在被迫停留更长时间，因为我们在非洲有一场比赛，而能够在非洲比赛一直是我的梦想，”汉密尔顿周四在与锦标赛领头羊基米·安东内利一起举行的新闻发布会上说道。

“我必须继续努力保持状态。如果明年我还能取得好成绩，我们就会继续下去。”

上赛季取代汉密尔顿加入梅赛德斯车队的安东内利，年仅 20 岁，鼓励他：“你至少要完成第一个。”

汉密尔顿是这项运动中第一位也是唯一一位黑人冠军，他长期以来一直呼吁在非洲举办比赛——非洲大陆上一次举办比赛是在 1993 年，地点是南非的卡亚拉米赛道——并谈到了他的努力。

“与利益相关者进行了无数次会议，在伦敦与（F1首席执行官）斯特凡诺（多梅尼卡利）的办公室进行了多次会议，而且在比赛周末，还打了无数个电话：‘情况如何？我们要去哪里？你要和谁见面？’”

他回忆说：“我与不同国家的总统举行了很多会晤，也与非洲各国的总统进行了多次电话沟通。”

“我认为，对我来说，这里配得上举办一场大奖赛。这不仅仅关乎一个国家，而是关乎整个非洲大陆。”