Lewis Hamilton Describes Recent Visit to Africa As Life Changing Experience After Controversial 2021 F1 Season

Lewis Hamilton Describes Recent Visit to Africa As Life Changing Experience After Controversial 2021 F1 Season

Byron Pillay
updated at April 12, 2023 at 8:13 PM
  • Lewis Hamilton visited Africa to find himself again after the controversial end to the 2021 Formula 1 season
  • Hamilton spent two weeks in Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, describing it as life-changing
  • Red Bull Racing are under investigation for budget irregularities which could see Max Verstappen stripped of his title

Even world-class sports stars need to take a step back and find themselves again.

That’s what Lewis Hamilton did when he travelled to Africa, a decision he said changed his life. Hamilton spent two weeks in Namibia, Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania.

Lewis Hamilton, Describes, Recent Visit, Africa, Life Changing Experience, Controversial, 2021, F1 Season, Sport, Formula 1
Lewis Hamilton has paid special tribute to the continent of Africa, describing his visit there as life-changing. Image: Dan Istitene
Source: Getty Images

Hamilton recently discussed the trip with Sky Sports, explaining that it gave him a chance to explore his family heritage and find out where the Hamilton name came from.

Hamilton explained that he discovered Robert Hamilton was a slave owner from Scotland. Hamilton had a plantation with around 150 slaves. At some stage, the slaves took the Hamilton surnames as their own.

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"There was another slave-owner whose second name was Davidson. My grandad was called Davidson-Hamilton. I have both in my name, so that's pretty cool."

While he travelled to Africa to discover his heritage and his place in the world, he also used it to deal with the fallout of the dramatic end of the 2021 season.

Max Verstappen was crowned champion after winning a hugely controversial Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Verstappen could still be stripped of the title as the FIA are busy investigating whether Red Bull broke the budget cap, Sport24 reported.

The trip to the ‘motherland’ helped Hamilton clear his head of all that.

"It was one of, if not the most, special experience for me," Hamilton said. "Just to tap into a little bit of Africa and experience a few different countries.”

He added that he chose to visit the rarest and rawest part of the different countries to see how people experienced life with very little.

Following his return to F1 this season, Hamilton described his trip to Africa as truly transformative.

“The motherland has a special energy. It was the music, the smiles of the people, and the way people shared their energy. It was beautiful.”

Lewis Hamilton could be handed last season's F1 title as Max Verstappen's Red Bull is accused of cheating

An interesting twist in Formula 1 could see Max Verstappen dethroned last season's championship.

Red Bull are currently under investigation after reports emerged that they exceeded the spending cap last season.

Verstappen won his first championship on the season's final day in a dramatic race at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Sports Brief reported.

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Byron Pillay
Byron Pillay is a sports writer and Head of the Department at Sports Brief (joined in 2022) with over 10 years of experience in community journalism and a degree in journalism from Caxton's Cadet School.
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