Lewis Hamilton has suggested he could extend his Formula 1 career into the early 2030s, driven by the prospect of racing in Africa, while Max Verstappen has demanded the Circuit of the Americas be completely relayed over health concerns.
The Ferrari driver, 41, currently sits third in the F1 drivers' standings and secured his first win with the team in Barcelona earlier this year. Ahead of Sunday's United States Grand Prix at COTA, Hamilton revealed that F1's planned return to Africa, scheduled for the early 2030s, could keep him in the sport longer than expected.
Hamilton's Africa dream
Rwanda has signed a 10-year agreement to host an annual Grand Prix from that point, marking F1's return to the continent for the first time since 1993. Hamilton, who will turn 45 at the earliest possible host date in 2030, said he may be "forced" to stay on to experience it.
Speaking ahead of the weekend's race, Hamilton said: "I'm looking forward to racing with him longer and we'll see about... I mean, 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."
When Mercedes replacement Kimi Antonelli told Hamilton he's "got to come," Hamilton replied: "Yeah, I mean, 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."
Years of advocacy
Hamilton has been a vocal advocate for an African Grand Prix, describing it as a personal mission. He said: "I've been advocating for a race in Africa for many, many, many years, and countless meetings with the stakeholders. So many meetings with [F1 chief executive] Stefano [Domenicali] at his office in London, but also race weekends, countless calls."
He added: "I think for me, it's a place that deserves to have a Grand Prix. It's more than just about one country: it's about the continent in itself. There's so many beautiful countries within it and the people are so lovely. The culture is so rich, and I think it's important that we get to show that to the world, and we get to do that with our sport."
Verstappen's demand for COTA overhaul
Verstappen, targeting a third straight race win in Austin, has called for the Circuit of the Americas to be fully relayed, citing concerns over drivers suffering long-term spinal damage. The Red Bull driver described the track's bumps as "unacceptable" despite praising its layout.
"I love this track, I love this place. It's one of the best layouts ever and it's one of the best venues, best cities to be at. But for me, the bumps that we have are unacceptable," Verstappen told reporters. "Last year, you pulled around 5-6G in a corner, but I had some impacts like vertical load, which was like over 9G on my spine, which I can tell you is really not fun. And especially the older you get you think about that more and more. I can tell you from the checks that I've done from my spine, the bottom end doesn't look that great."
Verstappen pointed to the recent World Endurance Championship at COTA last month as evidence the track remains "extremely badly bumpy," despite a major resurfacing in 2022. He argued that grinding sections is only a temporary fix, saying: "You can use the excuse that the soil is the problem, but then you should have known that and you need to make sure that you reinforce it more. Over time they've been grinding a little bit here and there, but you're just putting a plaster on the big problem."
He added: "That's just what's coming underneath. That's what you need to actually tackle in the first place. But that means you need to really fully open up the track. That costs a lot of money and time but, honestly, that's the only way to get rid of it because these bumps are not natural and they are out of control."
