Lewis Hamilton welcomes Formula 1 shifting toward more city-based races as it is “about the people”.
Under the ownership of Liberty Media, the sport has added several new Grand Prix on street circuits, notably Saudi Arabia in Jeddah and Las Vegas from 2023.
These new races may come at the expense of F1’s historic venues such as Spa-Francorchamps, which is out of contract after this year.
Also Read:
- McLaren CEO hints Monaco GP among five F1 races that fall short of ‘spectacular’
- Ricciardo welcomes new F1 tracks but Perez fears some lack ‘character’
But Hamilton believes making the sport more accessible to a wider population has greater benefits.
“Look I’m a bit old school. So of course, I love the history, particularly in certain circuits. But the older I get, the more I realise it’s about the people,” he was quoted by GPFans.
“We could go to the middle of nowhere that has very few people, not great accommodation, not great community and for us, as individuals, driving on a track that’s historic is cool – but it’s about the people.
“And the people really do make… we’ve experienced with the pandemic, no one being in there and that’s just no atmosphere. It was like a test day. It was not enjoyable.
“And now we’re seeing hundreds of thousands of people turn up to the race, energised, excited, keen to learn more. And so, I think the fans are at the heart of what this sport is about, they create it.”
Hamilton also sees more opportunities for F1 to have a broader impact on cities rather than the isolated areas where some classic circuits are located,
“I think, being in cities where we can really engage in communities and actually also have an impact,” said the seven-time world champion.
“When you go to those… I love Nürburgring, for example, but there’s not a diverse community there.
“We’re not actually impacting the place there. [In cities], we can do something.
“I met a bunch of kids from diverse backgrounds, who now want to get into engineering and STEM subjects and so, it’s way cooler for me.”
